No Place That Far
by Serendipity.now
Summary: Two years ago, Thea Martin watched her sister, Greta, walk away to serve Klaus. With no contact from Greta, Thea goes to Mystic Falls to help kill Klaus and get Greta back. She soon clashes with her father and the man he's working for, Elijah. As Elijah and Thea work together, she finds herself drawn to him, even though she swore she'd never trust another Original. Elijah/OC
1. Prologue

**Pairing: Elijah/Thea is endgame. I may put her with others in the meantime, depending on how the story goes, but this story came about because I put my other story's OC with Klaus. And I love both these brothers and they do not like to share, so...**

 **Timing: The prologue is pre-series. Chapter One will start in the middle of Season two.**

 **I don't anything, just Thea.**

 **Rated M for language and sex**

"I'm leaving," said Greta. "With Klaus."

Thea blinked in surprise. When Greta had called and said she needed to speak with Thea as soon as possible, this isn't what she had expected. Now she knew why Greta had insisted on meeting in a public spot. She hadn't wanted Thea to make a scene. No doubt that was Klaus' idea.

Thea tilted her head. "What do you mean, you're leaving? It's the middle of the semester."

"He says it's time to move on," answered Greta. "And he wants me to go with him."

Greta said that last part with a smile on her face.

Thea inwardly cringed. She knew she should have tried harder to stop Greta from working with Klaus. But it had made Greta so happy. And Thea wanted her little sister happy.

"You're only a freshmen," said Thea. "You have your whole life ahead of you. Don't drop everything just to go off with some vampire."

She tried, and failed, to keep the disdain out of her voice.

Greta scoffed. "Klaus isn't just some vampire. He's an Original. He's going to change the world once he breaks the curse."

Thea's eyes hardened. "He's never going to break the curse. You're wasting your time."

Greta looked angry. "I'll find a way. Klaus believes in me."

Thea sighed, not wanting to argue. "Don't go, Greta. Please. At least finish school."

"Klaus needs my help now," said Greta.

"He's going to live forever, he can wait!"

"He said you'd try to stop me," said Greta, getting up from the café table.

"You shouldn't listen to Klaus," Thea answered angrily, getting up as well. "He's just using you to get what he wants."

Greta's eyes flashed angrily. "You're wrong. Klaus cares about me."

"Greta, come on," said Thea, her tone softening. "Klaus doesn't care about anything except breaking the curse."

"Why can't you be happy for me?" asked Greta. "Being in Klaus' inner circle is a great honor."

Honor is not what she would call it.

"Please don't go," pleaded Thea.

Greta shook her head. "You can't stop me."

Thea pursed her lips. She could maybe force Greta to stay. She could call on the coven and they could keep Greta from leaving. But what would be the point of that?

Greta was an adult, capable of making her own choices. Thea just hoped her sister realized what a mistake following Klaus was, before it was too late.

"You call me the second there's trouble," said Thea, looking Greta in the eye. "Do you understand? Original or not, I will do whatever it takes to save you."

Greta rolled her eyes. "I won't need saving. I never understood what you have against Klaus."

"Other than the fact that he's an evil vampire?" asked Thea, shaking her head.

"He's not evil," said Greta. "He's misunderstood. He's always been nice to us."

Thea clenched her teeth, not wanting to have this same argument again, especially if Greta was going away.

"Just promise me you'll keep in touch, okay?"

Greta nodded. "Sure."

She got up from the café table and threw some money down.

"I have to go," she said. "The plane leaves in an hour."

"What?" exclaimed Thea. "You're leaving now?"

"It was a last minute thing," said Greta, moving forward to hug a surprised Thea. "I'll call you soon."

"Okay..." Thea trailed off, too stunned to respond.

Greta released her and grabbed her purse.

"I'm not going away forever," said Greta, shaking her head at Thea's frown. "I'll see you soon."

Thea frowned and watched Greta walk away, down the sidewalk. She plopped back down in her chair, putting her head in her hands. What the hell had just happened? What was she going to tell her father? Her brother, Luka?

"Quite magnanimous of you," came a voice from behind her.

Thea shot up, turning around and putting one hand up toward the newcomer.

"What do you want?" Thea hissed, looking at Klaus with an unfriendly glance.

"Relax, love," said Klaus with a hint of a smirk. "I came to intervene if necessary, but I see I needn't have worried."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Thea. "Why are you taking her away?"

"I cannot stay here any longer," said Klaus, not elaborating. "I need my most trusted associates to accompany me."

He looked hard at her.

"It does pain me somewhat that you are not among them," he said, tilting his head.

Thea clenched her jaw, letting loose some of the anger she'd felt at Greta's decision, but that she hadn't wanted to unleash on her sister.

"I will never help you," Thea spat.

Klaus chuckled a little at her anger. "Never say never."

Thea bristled at his amusement. "Let's get one thing straight, Klaus. Original or not. Vampire or not. If you hurt my sister, I will find a way to end you."

Klaus just kept smirking. "As always, your charm is without equal."

And then he disappeared.

Thea sighed and sat back down in her chair and reached for her coffee, that was now cold. She stared in the direction that Greta had retreated, hoping she had made the right choice in letting her go.

Of course, if Thea had known it would be another two years before she'd see her sister again, and that the decision Greta made would change her family's lives forever, she probably would have dragged a bound and gagged Greta all the way home to Louisiana.

 **A/N: Let me know what you think so far! Next chapter will be a time jump to season two, but I will be incorporating flashbacks once Thea makes her way to Mystic Falls (you can probably tell there's more to the story with how Greta ended up with Klaus).**


	2. By the Light of the Moon

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who view, reviewed, favorited and followed this story!**

 **I suppose I should have mentioned this last chapter- I am not a Greta fan and I plan on showing her the way she was on the show- pretty selfish, blindly loyal to Klaus and not at all concerned with her family.**

 **I put Thea as a Martin because it worked for the story I wanted to tell, plus I thought it would be interesting to have an OC who isn't automatically affiliated with the Mystic Falls Gang or the Originals (at least at first), but someone who has a separate interest.**

 **I picture Thea as a young Rosario Dawson for some reason. She's beautiful and strong and isn't afraid to say what she thinks. I think she'd make a badass witch.**

 **Thea will be arriving in Mystic Falls during 2x11 (By the Light of the Moon- hence the chapter title). Quick summary- Stefan is stuck in the tomb with Katherine, Jules just arrived in town, looking for Mason and it's Tyler's first time turning.**

 **Anyway, on with the story!**

Thea walked down the sunny streets of Austin, smiling as the slight breeze provided a welcome change to the warmer-than-usual late spring weather. She was headed back to the office, after meeting a friend for lunch, her mind already on her upcoming meeting that afternoon.

She was nearly back to her office building when her phone rang. Digging in her purse, she saw her father's phone number flashing on the screen. She contemplated letting it go to voicemail, she really needed to prepare for this meeting, but Jonas rarely called, so it could be important.

"Hello?" she answered, stepping into the air-conditioned building.

"I think I found her," came her father's voice.

Thea took a sharp breath inward, mind reeling.

It had been two years since she'd watched Greta walk away on that sidewalk. She'd heard from Greta a few times after she'd left, then the calls stopped. It had been more than a year and a half since they'd had any contact. Emails weren't returned and Greta's phone had been disconnected.

At first, Thea was sure Greta was just busy. But as time wore on, she began to fear something had happened to Greta. Had Klaus done something to her? Had she been killed by an enemy of Klaus' (he had no shortage)? Or worst of all, had she willingly forsaken her family?

Jonas had begun a crusade to find his lost daughter, devoting all his time and energy to the cause.

Thea and Jonas' relationship became strained, as Jonas blamed Thea for letting Greta go. They rarely talked. Luka, Thea's younger brother, had been the one who kept Thea mostly informed on their progress towards finding Greta.

"You found her?" gasped Thea. "Where? Where is she?"

"I don't know where she is," Jonas admitted. "But Elijah knows where Klaus is going to be."

Thea frowned slightly at the mention of Elijah's name. Jonas and Luka had been working with Elijah for the past few months. They had met during their mutual search for Klaus.

Thea had never met Elijah, but she couldn't help be distrustful. He was an Original, after all, just like Klaus, and seemed reluctant to share his reasoning for wanting Klaus dead, just that they had a 'falling out'. Jonas, desperate to find Greta, said he didn't care who they got help from, as long as she was found.

"Where is Klaus going to be?" asked Thea.

"A small town in Virginia," said Jonas. "It's called Mystic Falls. We're on our way there now."

"Okay," said Thea. "When is Klaus going to be there?"

"We're not sure," said Jonas. "Elijah thinks he's going there to break the curse."

"Did Elijah find a doppelganger?" gasped Thea.

This was bad. Really bad. They couldn't let Klaus break the curse.

"Yes," said Jonas. "Her name is Elena Gilbert."

"When is Klaus coming? The next full moon is in five days," said Thea. "Think it'll be that soon?"

"Doubtful," said Jonas. "Elijah says Klaus won't show himself until he's recovered the moonstone."

Thea rolled her eyes, remembering how paranoid Klaus was. It was why he'd eluded his enemies for so long.

"Do you know where it is?" asked Thea.

"No," said Jonas. "But Elijah is working on it."

"Okay," said Thea, still not trusting this 'Elijah' person. "I'll be there as soon as I can, I just need to let my boss know..."

Jonas cut her off.

"You don't need to come, Thea," said Jonas. "Luka and I can handle it."

"What?" frowned Thea. "Of course I'm coming. Why did you call if you don't want me to come?"

"Luka insisted," said Jonas, clearly not happy about it.

"Look, Dad," said Thea, trying to keep her voice even. "I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, especially since Mom left..."

"Please don't bring your mother into this," said Jonas.

"But stopping Klaus and getting Greta back are what matters," continued Thea. "I'll let you know when I'm coming."

Jonas sighed. "Fine. I'll text you the address of the apartment we're renting."

Thea hung up the phone and took a deep breath. She'd both hoped for and dreaded this day. She wanted to protect her sister, but did not want to face Klaus. No matter what happened, she had to stop him from breaking the curse.

o – o – o

Thea knocked on the apartment that Jonas was renting. After a minute, the door opened and she saw her father standing there.

"Hey, Dad," said Thea.

"Thea," he responded, trying for a smile.

They had an awkward hug and she walked into the apartment, remembering the last time she'd seen her father. It was at Thea's college graduation, a few months after Greta had left with Klaus. Luka and Jonas had traveled from Louisiana to The University of Texas-Austin, to see Thea graduate.

They had managed to maintain their civility and Jonas was in a good mood, on the campus of his alma mater (which is why both Thea and Greta had chosen the school, as well as its resources and unofficial sub-culture of witches), until the night of Thea's graduation dinner.

 _Austin, Almost two years ago_

" _This place is great, Thea," said Luka, digging into his plate. "I've never had Ethiopian food before."_

" _It's one of my favorites," smiled Thea. "It's just down the street from my new job."_

" _You got a job?" asked Jonas, surprised._

 _Thea smiled. "Yeah. I told you one of the local coven leaders works in Marketing. She gave me a job. I'm lucky, especially in this economy."_

 _Jonas' expression was not one of joy._

" _I thought you'd be happy for me," frowned Thea._

" _I'm glad you found a job, honey," said Jonas. "But I was hoping you would come with us."_

" _With you?" asked Thea, confused. "Where are you going?"_

 _Jonas put down his fork and sighed. Luka all of a sudden looked nervous and was intensely studying his plate._

" _I've closed my practice," said Jonas. "I'm going to look for your sister. There are rumors that Klaus is in South America."_

" _South America?" Thea repeated. "What about Luka? He's a sophomore in high school."_

" _I'll teach him," said Jonas. "We both can."_

" _Dad, this is crazy," said Thea. "It's only been a month since we've heard from her, Greta's probably just busy."_

" _Do you really believe that?" challenged Jonas._

 _Thea was silent. No, she didn't._

 _Jonas' expression hardened. "Klaus has done something to her. Or one of his enemies. I still can't believe you let her..."_

" _Let her?" hissed Thea. "You've got to be kidding me! She was 19, Dad. An adult. What was I supposed to do? Chain her to her dorm room?"_

" _You should have stopped her from working with him in the first place!" exclaimed Jonas. "She's your little sister and you were supposed to protect her."_

 _Tears formed in Thea's eyes. That's what it all came down to. Ever since her mom left, she'd been tasked with taking care of her younger siblings, when Jonas would work long hours at his medical practice, or go off to indulge in his obsession- the collection of grimoires._

 _It had been an ongoing point of contention whenever Thea's own interests had conflicted with her family responsibilities. The past four years of being away at college had been liberating._

" _Greta made her choice," said Thea, trying to blink back tears. "Even if you find her, how can be sure she'll want to come back?"_

" _Greta would never willingly serve him," said Jonas. "He manipulated her."_

" _Of course he did," said Thea, rolling her eyes. "That's what Klaus does. I argued with her endlessly about this and couldn't change her mind. What makes you think you can?"_

" _She'll listen to her father," said Jonas._

 _Thea sighed. "I hope you're right. But I can't go with you. My life is here."_

Their relationship had been strained after that and she hadn't seen her father since.

"I'm surprised you actually came," said Jonas.

"I said I would," frowned Thea.

"You seemed determined to stay in Austin the last time we saw each other."

"Things have changed since my graduation," said Thea. "We haven't heard from Greta in almost two years. I don't know if she's dead or a prisoner or..."

Thea trailed off, not wanting to think about the alternative- that Greta had cut her family off willingly.

"What matters is getting her back," said Jonas. "Elijah has a plan. To kill Klaus."

"Kill Klaus?" frowned Thea. "You can't kill an Original vampire. And what good would that do anyway?"

"If Klaus is dead, Greta will have no choice but to come back to her family," said Jonas.

Thea raised an eyebrow. "And you don't think Greta will be a little upset you killed him?"

"She'll understand," said Jonas. "Greta was always stubborn, but she was a sweet kid. Klaus is manipulating her."

Thea frowned, but didn't comment. She loved her sister, but while Greta was definitely stubborn, she wasn't particularly sweet. She had always been a little selfish and it had only gotten worse as Greta had gotten older.

Greta as a teenager had been insufferable; Jonas just hadn't noticed much as he was gone a lot, leaving Thea to deal with Greta's rebellious ways. Thea suddenly wished she hadn't covered so much for Greta when they were younger.

"Let's just find her," said Thea. "So when do I get to meet the famous Elijah?"

"He comes when he needs something," said Jonas. "And to give us updates."

"So he's running the show, huh? Taking orders from a vampire?"

"We have a common goal, Thea," said Jonas. "If you came here to do anything besides get Greta back, it's best you leave."

"Why don't you just tell me the plan?" said Thea, tightly.

o – o – o

"That's the plan?" exclaimed Thea, a few minutes later. "Sacrifice three people, then kill Klaus by channeling the power of witch massacre site you can't even find!"

"Elijah said he has a way to save the doppelganger," said Jonas, defensively. "He's personally trying to find the witch site."

"That still leaves a vampire and a werewolf to be killed," said Thea, horrified. "Please tell me there is a Plan B."

"No, Thea," said Jonas, heatedly. "This is plan. Klaus has to die, so Greta can be free."

"Now I know why you didn't want to call me," Thea practically shouted. "This is crazy! There has be another way to stop Klaus, without killing people!"

Jonas sighed. "Elijah says it's impossible."

Thea clenched her jaw. "Where is Elijah?"

"He's out looking for the witch massacre site," answered Jonas.

Thea sighed. "If that place is as powerful as you claim, there's got to be a way to use it to put down Klaus. Hold him down long enough trap him. I think I read a spell somewhere that will immobilize a vampire for a few hours..."

"Klaus is an Original," said Jonas. "There isn't another way."

"Dad, this isn't you," said Thea, almost pleading. "You're a doctor. 'Do no harm.' You aren't this person."

Jonas sighed and closed his eyes, looking older and wearier than Thea had ever seen him.

"You have no idea what I've been through," he said, clearly trying to control his emotions. "These past two years, not knowing if my little girl was alive. If she was hurt or scared. I've done things, Thea. Things I never thought I..."

Jonas trailed off, rubbing his hand on his head in frustration.

"I'm sorry," said Thea, sighing. "I should have come with you. I didn't think... You shouldn't have had to go through this alone."

Thea moved closer and wrapped her arms around her father, trying to comfort him.

They talked for a while longer, steering clear of all things Klaus/Greta/Elijah-related, until Thea announced she was hungry.

"It's fine," said Thea, waving Jonas off. "I can go get a bite to eat by myself."

o – o – o

If the menu was any indication, the Mystic Grill was a small town diner with nicer finishings. Still, Thea was famished and the waitress was polite as she took Thea's order.

She was just coming out of the bathroom, ready to go back to her dad's apartment when she noticed a guy with light brown hair stealthily putting something into a blonde woman's drink at the bar, while another guy in a leather jacket distracted the woman.

"What the hell?" she muttered, walking over to the trio.

As she got closer, she realized the guy in the leather jacket was a vampire. The perks of being a witch, though she wasn't sure she'd ever seen a vampire use roofies. How modern.

"Thank you for the drink," said the blonde woman, as Thea walked up.

"Don't drink that!" Thea exclaimed, grabbing the glass out of the woman's hands. "His friend put something in it."

The vampire turned around and grabbed Thea by the shoulders.

"You must be mistaken," he said, softly.

Thea clenched her jaw at the attempted compulsion.

"I was just mixing it," said the other guy, slurring his words. "See?" He took a sip from drugged drink. "Nothing in there but the Grill's finest."

Thea frowned, she knew what she'd seen. If he hadn't put some type of drug in the drink, what had gone in there? What was going on? Jonas had warned here that this town was a hotspot for supernatural activity and that nothing was what it seemed. He said it was a miniature New Orleans.

Of course, Jonas had also told her that the vampires in this town were protecting the doppelganger, Elena, so they weren't to be harmed.

"I'm Alaric, pretty lady," said the guy with light brown hair. "What's your name?"

"Thea," she said, cautiously.

"Buy you a drink?" he asked, still slurring a bit.

Behind her, the blonde woman and the vampire had resumed their conversation, though the blonde hadn't touched the drink.

Whether they were protecting Elena or not, Thea decided she was going to find out what exactly Alaric put in the woman's drink. She breathed in, calling forth her magic. She raised her hand and immobilized Alaric. As a human, with human-level strength, it wasn't much of a challenge.

Alaric's eyes widened as he realized he couldn't move, or speak. Thea dug in his pocket and found the small packet.

Thea frowned when she recognized the herb immediately. It was wolfsbane. Thea released Alaric and dragged him to the far side of the restaurant, away from the bar and the vampire and the blonde.

"You're a witch," muttered Alaric, dropping the drunk act.

"And you're a human that just added wolfsbane to that woman's drink," said Thea, quietly. "Why?"

Alaric looked at her appraisingly. "Who are you?"

"I told you. I'm Thea... Martin. You might know my father?"

"You're working with Elijah," said Alaric, eyes narrowed.

"I'm not working with him," Thea said, with more venom in her voice then she intended. "I've never even met him."

"Then why are you in Mystic Falls?" asked Alaric, still looking at her suspiciously.

Thea looked at him and decided to tell him a half-truth. Jonas had warned her about telling anyone about Greta. She thought it was silly, but didn't want to betray her father's trust.

"Because Klaus is going to be here," said Thea. "And he took something from my family. Something I want back."

"What did he take?" asked Alaric, now looking concerned.

Thea shook her head. "It doesn't matter. We just need to find him and stop him. We can't let him break the curse. It's too dangerous."

Alaric nodded. "Well at least we agree on that."

"Your turn," said Thea. "What's with the wolfsbane? And who's the vampire?"

"How do you know he's a vampire?"

Thea smirked. "Witch trick. So...? Come on, I showed you mine."

Alaric looked hard at her one more time and sighed. "His name is Damon. We're trying to find out if that woman is a werewolf."

"Why?"

"We think she's friends with another werewolf who came into town about a month ago."

"And where's this werewolf now?" asked Thea.

At Alaric's hesitant face, Thea shook her head. "Let me guess, your vampire friend killed him?"

Alaric tilted his head in affirmation.

"Vampires and werewolves," said Thea, shaking her head. "You should tell your friend Damon he might want to lay off. At least for the night. It's a full moon. You do know a werewolf bite is fatal to a vampire?"

Alaric nodded. "Damon doesn't like to be told what to do."

Then Alaric looked over Thea's shoulder, concerned. Thea turned around and saw that Damon and the blonde woman were having a heated argument.

Alaric got up and made his way over to them.

"Damon, how about that second round?" asked Alaric, trying to diffuse the tension.

"I think we're done, Ric," said Damon. He turned to the blonde woman. "You think I'm afraid of you?"

"No, I don't," said the blonde woman. "That's your vampire arrogance... You should be. I sniffed you out the moment you entered this bar. Along with your pathetic wolfsbane."

The woman sent a withering look at Alaric.

"See, I've been at this a long time," the woman continued. "And any other night of the month, the situation would be reversed. But tonight, is not the night to pick a fight with me." She angrily got up. "You've been marked."

Thea's eyes widened. That didn't sound good. She hadn't had many dealings with werewolves, they were pretty rare and nomadic, but she knew they were fiercely loyal to their own. If this woman had figured out Damon had killed her friend...

The woman walked away. Damon moved to follow, but Alaric stopped him.

"We're in public, man," said Alaric, putting a hand on Damon's arm.

Damon shook off Alaric's arm and turned to Thea.

"Thanks for that," he said, angrily. "Your little interruption tipped her off."

Thea crossed her arms. "I thought you were trying to date rape her. What was I supposed to do?"

"Do I look like someone that needs to drug a woman to sleep with her?" asked Damon, moving towards the door.

"If I say yes, is he going to try and bite me?" asked Thea.

"He might try and bite you anyway," said Alaric, shaking his head. "I should go after him."

Thea nodded. "Tell him to stay inside. Werewolves prefer the outdoors."

"It was nice to meet you, Thea," said Alaric, smiling. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

Then he walked out of the Grill.

o – o – o

When Thea arrived back at her father's apartment, Jonas was reading.

"Where's Luka?" asked Thea, shrugging off her coat.

She hadn't had a chance to see her little brother yet.

"Sleeping," said Jonas. "It was a long day."

"What happened?" asked Thea. "Is he okay?"

Jonas nodded and told her that Luka had spent most of the day with Bonnie Bennett, lying to her about de-spelling the moonstone, then had worked with Jonas to lower the seal on the tomb to let out Elena's boyfriend Stefan Salvatore, based on the deal that Elena had made with Elijah.

"Well they all know you're working for him now," said Thea, shaking her head. "I ran into a few of their gang at the Grill. Alaric and the vampire Damon. I'm guessing that's Stefan's brother."

"What did you tell them?" asked Jonas, concerned.

"The truth," answered Thea, shrugging. "That Klaus took something from our family. That I want to stop the sacrifice."

"Thea..." Jonas trailed off, annoyed.

"Don't 'Thea' me," she said. "I..."

She trailed off when she saw a white stone laying on the table beside Jonas.

"Is that..."

"The moonstone," confirmed Jonas. "The key to breaking the curse."

Thea rolled her eyes. "One of the keys." She sighed. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed."

"I made up the daybed in the den," said Jonas.

Thea smiled and wished him goodnight. She waited for another few hours, after Jonas had gone to bed before sneaking out to the living room.

After a few minutes of searching, she managed to find where Jonas was keeping the moonstone. She picked it up and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dad," she whispered to herself.

Then she took the moonstone and went out the door. When she returned an hour later, sans moonstone, she crawled into bed, hoping her father would forgive her one day.

 **A/N: I hope it makes sense how Thea views Elijah and Jonas' plan at the moment. To be fair, it is not a nice plan, even when you consider the elixir. Next chapter, Elijah will enter- three guesses at what he'll be looking for?**

 **As you've probably already guessed, I'm going to be making some changes to canon- Let me know what you think so far!**


	3. The Descent

The next day when Thea woke up, Jonas and Luka were having breakfast. Thea was excited to see Luka and offered to drive him to school so they could catch up.

After dropping Luka off, Thea went back to Jonas' apartment and did some work remotely before she decided to go to the Grill for lunch. Jonas was out running errands- it seemed he hadn't noticed the moonstone was gone yet.

When Thea arrived at the Grill, Damon and the blonde werewolf were having another heated argument. He looked fine, so she figured he'd managed to not get bitten. Steering clear of the pair, Thea settled at a table and looked at the menu.

"This seat taken?" asked a voice.

Thea smiled tightly. "Hey Alaric. And no."

Alaric slid into the seat opposite her.

"How are you liking Mystic Falls?" asked Alaric.

Thea frowned. This is not the interaction she had expected. Yesterday, Luka had tricked Bonnie Bennett into giving him the moonstone by pretending to de-spell it. No doubt that news had reached the rest of the Mystic Falls gang. Thea expected some type of accusation, not small talk.

"Mystic Falls seems nice," said Thea. "Typical small town, I guess. You know, except for all the vampires and werewolves."

Alaric nodded. "Where are you from?"

"Louisiana originally," said Thea. "But I've been living in Austin for the past six years." She put down the menu. "Why are you being so nice to me? My brother tricked your newbie witch into giving him the moonstone."

Alaric glared at her. "So I take it the spell to remove the curse from the stone was a trick too?"

Thea sighed. "Yes."

"Give it back," came a hard voice from behind her.

Thea swirled around to see Damon standing there.

"No," said Thea. "Believe it or not, I didn't know what my father and brother were planning to do. I'm sorry Luka lied. He shouldn't have done that."

"Give us the moonstone and I'll believe it," said Damon, sitting down next to Alaric.

Thea shook her head. "No. I can't risk you trying to de-spell it again."

"You said you wanted to stop the curse from being broken," said Alaric, accusingly.

"And I do," answered Thea. "But do you know what Klaus will do if he hears we've released the curse from the moonstone? If that's even possible?"

"How is he even going to know?" asked Damon, rolling his eyes.

"Word is going to get out about the doppelganger," said Thea. "If it hasn't already. Klaus has spies everywhere. People that don't even know they're spies."

"You seem awfully familiar with him," said Damon, eyes narrowed.

Thea shifted uncomfortably. "I already told you he and my family have history. You're not getting the moonstone. But if it makes you feel better, neither is my father or Elijah."

"What?" asked Alaric.

"Luka took it to give to Elijah, obviously, but I may have taken it first," said Thea.

"Her family's just like yours, Damon," said Alaric with a small smile.

"You don't trust Elijah either," said Damon, surprised.

"I don't know Elijah," Thea admitted. "My father made a deal with him. Not me."

"So we're just supposed to trust you?" scoffed Damon.

"You don't have to do anything," said Thea, angrily. "I believe I was sitting here, minding my own business, when Alaric came over to talk about the weather or something."

Damon looked at Alaric.

"What?" said Alaric. "I thought she might be able to help."

Thea frowned. "Help with what?"

Damon looked hesitant, then spoke. "Do know if there's a cure for a werewolf bite?"

Thea raised an eyebrow. "Did that blonde werewolf bite one of your vampire friends last night?"

"Is there a cure or not?" demanded Damon.

"You have a funny way of asking for help," said Thea, shaking her head. "Did anyone ever tell you you'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar?"

"Did anyone ever tell you I'll rip out your intestines and wear them as a hat?" Damon shot back.

Thea clenched her jaw and gave him an aneurysm, causing him to cry out in pain.

"I get that you're used to being the big bad around here," said Thea. "But I'm not some newbie witch who's only been practicing for a few months. Watch your tongue or I'll remove it. Along with your heart." She smiled evilly. "You know there's a spell for that, right?"

Thea released him and got up. She made her way toward the bar, thinking she'd just make an order to go.

After she'd ordered her lunch, she sat down and sipped her drink. She groaned when Alaric joined her.

"I'm sorry about him," said Alaric. "He's... not a nice person."

"Then why are you friends with him?" asked Thea.

Alaric shrugged. "It just sort of happened. He's rough around the edges, but he can be loyal. He's too stubborn to ask, but the vampire that got bit is important to him... Please, if you know anything."

Alaric's face was so earnest. She supposed Damon couldn't be all that bad if a guy like Alaric thought he was okay.

"There's no cure," said Thea, shaking her head. "At least not that I know of. I'm sorry."

Alaric nodded sadly and moved to get up.

"Wait," said Thea, sighing. "I know I'm going to regret this, but there are things magic can do. Ease the pain. Alleviate some of the symptoms. I've never actually seen a vampire die of a wolf bite, but I've heard it can be pretty... gruesome."

"You would do that?" asked Alaric, looking surprised.

Thea turned and looked at Damon, who was standing on the other side of the bar, no doubt listening to what she and Alaric were saying.

"Stop being a dick and I will," said Thea.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her, but walked up.

"No more aneurysms and I'll stop being a dick," said Damon.

Thea rolled her eyes. "So, where is this vampire? Are they secure?"

"What do you mean, 'secure'?" asked Alaric, confused.

"A werewolf bite is like poison to a vampire," explained Thea. "It causes hallucinations, behavioral changes..."

"I didn't know Rose was going to go all... rabid," growled Damon.

"Where is she?" asked Thea.

Damon's phone beeped.

"We don't know," said Damon, reading the text. "She ran away from the house."

"We have to find her," said Thea, alarmed. "She could seriously hurt someone."

"You don't think I know that?" exclaimed Damon. "We'll split up."

Alaric and Thea nodded. They quickly exchanged phone numbers and left the Grill.

Thea was driving down one of the main streets in the center of town when she got a call from Damon.

"We think she's by the high school," he said quickly. "The sheriff's deputies found a body."

"The high school?" Thea repeated. "My brother's there. I'm on my way."

She hung up and drove as quickly as she could to the school. She called Luka and told him to get inside, that there was a dangerous vampire on the loose.

When Thea got to the school, she spotted Damon talking to a brunette.

When the brunette turned to face the light, Thea gasped. It was the doppelganger, Elena. It was so odd. She'd seen pictures of Katerina Petrova, drawings really, centuries-old, and yet there was her living, breathing likeness.

Thea quickly parked the car and got out.

"Where is she?" asked Thea.

"Still missing," said Damon. "Elena, Thea Martin. Thea, Elena Gilbert."

Elena smiled. "Are you related to..."

"Jonas is my father," nodded Thea.

"So you're a witch," said Elena.

"She's here to help with Rose," said Damon. "Let's go."

The three of them started walking along the school, looking for signs of Rose.

"I'm not mad," said Elena, fingering the stake nervously in her hands.

"What?" asked Thea, confused.

"What Luka did," said Elena. "If Elijah wanted the moonstone, all he had to do was ask. I trust him to keep his end of the deal."

Thea frowned. "Do you even know the deal you made, Elena?"

"I listened to every word Elijah said," said Elena, seriously. "All I want is my friends and family safe."

Thea stopped in her tracks, realizing the implications of her words. Elena did know the deal. She knew her safety wasn't a guarantee. She just didn't care. As long as her loved ones were spared. Thea blinked in surprise.

Thea opened her mouth to say something when a strangled cry to their left interrupted her. Damon sped to the parking lot with Thea and Elena close behind.

By the time Elena and Thea arrived, Damon had Rose pinned to the ground.

"Rose, Rose! It's me. It's Damon. It's Damon," he said, trying to get through to the thrashing vampire.

Thea rushed over and put a hand to Rose's head, muttering a light sedation spell.

Rose seemed to come to her senses, her head lolling around

"What... Did I do this?" she whispered, horrified. "I didn't mean to... I never..."

Thea felt awful. Rose looked terrible, crying at the bodies that were scattered around her.

"I know," sighed Damon.

"Make it stop, please, make it stop," begged Rose, tears pouring from her eyes.

Damon looked at Thea, who nodded. Thea leaned down and pushed her magic harder, knocking Rose out completely.

Damon leaned down and picked Rose up.

"She'll be awake in a few minutes," said Thea. "Normally that spell doesn't work on vampires... But she's very weak."

Damon nodded. "I should get her home."

"I'll come," said Thea. "Like I promised."

Damon just gazed down pitifully at Rose, walking away with Elena trailing behind him.

o – o – o

"Sepelite per phantasmata decepturus est, purgare corde," chanted Thea, rubbing Rose's forehead and pushing her magic into the sick vampire.

Rose's eyes fluttered open and she smiled weakly.

"That's the last one," said Thea, looking over at Damon.

"Thank you," said Rose.

"You're welcome," said Thea, trying for a smile.

"If I weren't dying, I'd say I feel fine," said Rose, smiling at her little joke.

"How long will the spells last?" asked Damon.

"A few hours," said Thea.

Damon nodded, both of them knowing that Rose wasn't going to last that long.

Thea stood up, looked at Damon and Elena one more time before walking out of the room. She was just at the front door when Damon appeared in front of her.

"Hello," said Thea, a little surprised. "Was there something else?"

Damon frowned. "I don't know, is there?"

"Are you sure you weren't bitten too?" asked Thea, confused.

"In my experience, witches don't help out vampires from the goodness of their hearts," said Damon.

"You know I could say the same thing about vampires helping witches," said Thea, rolling her eyes.

"So what do you want?" asked Damon.

"Nothing," said Thea. "She's sick, Damon. In pain. I did what any decent person would do."

Damon cocked his head. "I still don't trust you or your family."

Thea shrugged. "Ditto."

Thea moved to exit the house, but Damon stopped her.

"Why did you come to Mystic Falls?" he asked, looking into her eyes. "Really?"

"I told Alaric why I came here," said Thea, looking back at him. "I wasn't lying. I want to stop Klaus, just as much as you do. Maybe more."

"Because he stole something, right?" said Damon, suspiciously.

"Because breaking the curse is dangerous," said Thea, getting a little heated. "Because killing innocent people is wrong... And yes, he took something very important to my family." Her face hardened. "So believe me... no one wants to stop him more than me."

Thea looked into Damon's eyes for a second longer before she pushed passed him and moved out the door.

Thea looked at her phone as she walked to her car and cringed. Ten missed calls from Jonas, another five from Luka, and one other from a number her phone didn't recognize. Not to mention a bunch of text messages, all of them asking where she was, and did she have the moonstone.

A man appeared suddenly in front of her and Thea instinctually raised her hand. Which was a good thing, too. Because a split second later she realized he was a vampire.

"That was very kind of you," said the vampire. "To ease her suffering."

"Who the hell are you?" exclaimed Thea.

What kind of person jumps out of the darkness to pay them a compliment?

"You really have no idea?" asked the vampire, looking almost amused.

Thea raised an eyebrow. "Well I don't want to presume. My father assured me Elijah is a noble vampire. Not prone to sneak attacks in the dark."

"I apologize if I scared you," said Elijah. "But I come on a matter of great urgency."

"Let me guess. The moonstone?"

"Do you have it?"

"It's safe," said Thea. "I'm assuming my father shared the concerns I have with your plan?"

"He did," confirmed Elijah. "I assure you, there is no other way. Klaus must die, but first the sacrifice must happen."

"There's always another way," Thea ground out. "We have at least another month to find one. If you're so noble, how can you be okay with killing three innocent people? Breaking the curse?"

Thea thought Elijah's face faltered for a split second.

"I take no joy in spilling innocent blood," said Elijah. "But he is coming. For Elena, for the moonstone. No force on earth can stop that now."

"So we find another way to kill him," said Thea, though the thought didn't sit well with her. "Or just stop him. Trap him somehow."

Thea closed her eyes, not wanting to think on her memories of Klaus.

"His crimes deserve death," said Elijah. "Not imprisonment."

Thea frowned. "What did he do to you?"

Elijah hesitated. "That... is none of your concern."

Thea scoffed. "You ask my family to trust you. Fight alongside you. And you won't tell us why we have a common enemy?"

"My past with Klaus is very complicated," said Elijah. "I want him dead. That's good enough for your father."

Thea's expression hardened. "I'm not my father, Elijah."

Elijah smiled slightly at her. "I can see that." He paused. "I'll tell you what. I'll let you keep the moonstone. For now. Do your research. If you find a way to stop him, whether through lethal means or not, prior to the sacrifice, I'll consider it."

Thea blinked, surprised. "Seriously? Why?"

Elijah looked at her thoughtfully. "It may be difficult for someone like you to understand, but as an immortal, human life is... fleeting. I think, perhaps, sometimes we forget how precious it can be. All these years, I've wanted revenge for what Klaus took from me. It consumed my every thought, my every waking moment... Thank you, Thea, for reminding me that some things are just as important."

Thea smiled at him and there was a moment of comfortable silence. Before reality set in of course.

"I'm guessing if I'm unsuccessful..." Thea trailed off.

"You will return the moonstone and the sacrifice will happen, after which, I will kill Klaus," finished Elijah.

Thea nodded. "Deal. But only because I don't want to contemplate what Klaus will do to this town if we try and hide the moonstone from him."

"He can be quite ruthless in pursuing his goals," said Elijah.

Thea tilted her head. There was something about the way he said that, the way he talked about Klaus, really. It was clear Elijah had known Klaus very well at one point.

"I know," said Thea, nodding her head.

When Elijah regarded her with a curious expression, she quickly added, "I mean, I've heard that."

Elijah looked at her for a moment longer before speaking.

"Regardless, our goal in the meantime remains the same," said Elijah. "Elena, and by extension her friends and family, must be kept safe."

Thea nodded. "I can help my father with that."

Elijah tilted his head. "Thank you."

Thea smiled. "Thank you, Elijah. You're..." She paused. "Not what I expected."

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "What did you expect?"

Thea pursed her lips. "When my father said you were noble, I thought he just meant old-fashioned."

"I have been accused of that," said Elijah with a slight smile.

"But now I see what he meant," she continued, gazing at his handsome face. "Thank you for hearing what I had to say. In my experience, vampires are only interested in using us for our magic."

"Then I am sorry on behalf of my kind," said Elijah. "It's getting late." He smiled at her. "I've no doubt I'll see you soon, Thea."

Then he disappeared as quickly as he came.

Thea sighed, staring in the direction he'd been standing. He certainly was noble, just like her father had said. But he was hiding something, she was certain of it. Of course, admittedly so was she. Nobody knew what had happened back in Austin with Klaus and Greta. Not even her father.

Thea pulled out her keys and opened the car door, thinking about Elijah again. Jonas hadn't mentioned he was gorgeous, but then again, Thea was certain her father hadn't noticed that.

o – o – o

"What were you thinking?" demanded Jonas, the minute Thea stepped inside the apartment. "How dare you take the moonstone?"

"I'm sorry," said Thea, throwing her coat down. "But you weren't listening to me."

"You had no right!" Jonas shouted. "Two years I've been looking for her. Two years and we are this close."

"We'll get her back, Dad," said Thea. "I..."

"I don't know what Elijah's going to do!" Jonas continued. "I can't protect you from him, Thea."

"I've already spoken to Elijah," said Thea. "It's fine. We... have an understanding."

Jonas stopped his tirade and looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

Thea sighed and told him about her conversation with Elijah.

"So you see?" asked Thea. "It's fine. I'm going to try and find a way to stop Klaus before the sacrifice happens."

"And if you fail," said Jonas, seriously. "Will you give up the moonstone? Allow the sacrifice to happen?"

Thea nodded. "Yes."

Jonas sighed. "Fine." He looked hard at Thea. "If you ever pull anything like that again you will no longer be welcome in my home."

He grabbed his book and went to his bedroom, shutting the door.

Thea's phone beeped. She smiled when she saw the text from Alaric.

'Heard what you did for Rose. Thanks again.'

Thea eyed the rows of Grimoires in the living room of the apartment. She knew she should get started on research, but she was so tired. Deciding to start early tomorrow, she went and crashed on her bed.


	4. Daddy Issues

**A/N: Jonas wasn't very nice, was he? He didn't seem very nice in canon. Very like, 'you're with me or against me', so I hope I'm portraying him accurately. I think Thea is putting up with him because she feels guilty about Greta (there is more to the story there) and now she needs his grimoires to try and fulfill her deal with Elijah. But yeah, Thea and Jonas aren't done clashing yet.**

The next day Thea slept late and by the time she finished getting ready, Luka had already gone to school, which left her alone in the apartment with Jonas.

Thea pointedly didn't say anything to him as she made herself breakfast and sat down to begin her research. There had to be a way to take down Klaus before he broke the curse. She just had to find it.

"I've read through all of those," said Jonas. "There's nothing in there about stopping an Original Vampire like Klaus."

"Well, I'm going to look again," said Thea, tightly. "You know as well as I do that magic is an art, not a science. Sometimes all it takes is inspiration from one spell to spark an idea for a brand-new one."

Jonas narrowed his eyes at her irritated tone. "Just put them back where you found them."

Thea huffed in annoyance, but didn't respond.

"I meant what I said. If you jeopardize getting your sister back..." said Jonas.

"Just stop it!" exclaimed Thea. "I'm not 16 anymore, Dad. Your threats don't scare me. I want Greta back as much as you do, but I'm not willing to sacrifice the rest of the world to get her back. We can't let Klaus break the curse. It's too dangerous."

Jonas clenched his jaw in anger. "Why do you care so much about stopping the Sun and the Moon curse from being broken? Half of all vampires walk in the sun because they have daylight rings."

Thea scoffed. "You don't understand."

"No, I don't understand," said Jonas, angrily. "How you could choose the lives of strangers over your own flesh and blood? Vampires prefer the night to attack their victims anyway, breaking this curse won't be endangering anyone."

"This isn't about vampires walking in the sun," said Thea, trying to concentrate on the grimoire she was reading.

"Then what is it about?" asked Jonas. "Don't tell me you want to break the curse in favor of the wolves."

Thea sighed. "Can we just stop talking about it?"

"No, Thea," said Jonas. "You're keeping something from me... Is this about Devin?"

Thea frowned. Devin was a werewolf she dated back in high school.

"Dad, please..."

"Are you trying to break the curse for him? Or some other wolf?" pushed Jonas.

Thea rolled her eyes. "Oh my god... The curse of the Sun and the Moon is fake!" she exclaimed, unable to take Jonas' condescending argument anymore. "So there's no breaking it to favor either vampires or werewolves."

"What?" asked Jonas, confused.

Thea sighed. She was hoping to avoid this, but somehow Jonas just brought it out. Did all parents have a way of needling the truth out of their children or was Jonas a special case?

"It's just a story," said Thea. "Klaus made it up, so werewolves and vampires would scour the earth for the doppelganger and the moonstone."

Jonas looked skeptical. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he, himself, was cursed. He used to be a hybrid. Half-werewolf, half-vampire. Deadlier than both. So the witches cursed him and forced his werewolf side into submission. So he couldn't make more like himself. That's why he wants to break the curse, to spawn a new species and take over the supernatural world."

Jonas looked bewildered. "He wants to..."

"Take over the world, yes," said Thea. "Or something like that. That's why the witches cursed him, I'm guessing. To protect the balance." She paused, looking into his eyes. "And that's what we have to do too."

"How do you know this?" asked Jonas, looking at Thea with narrowed eyes.

"Greta and I talked about it," said Thea, deciding on a half-truth. "Before she left Austin."

Jonas scowled. "Why did you wait until now to tell me this?"

Thea shrugged. "Would it have mattered?"

Jonas sat down, putting his head in his hands.

"Greta knew?" questioned Jonas.

Thea nodded sadly.

Jonas sighed, looking devastated. "She knew this was his true goal and she chose to follow him anyway."

Thea didn't know what to say. She loved Greta, but Greta was no saint. Not that Thea was better, but it didn't change Greta's decision.

Thea suspected Greta's feelings for Klaus were the true reason she had chosen to be one of his witches, but Thea didn't dare say the words aloud. They might break her father. That Greta had fallen for a man like Klaus.

Jonas rose suddenly and grabbed his jacket. "I'm going out."

Thea just nodded and watched as he left the apartment swiftly. It was a familiar move- anytime Jonas had been uncomfortable or upset, he just left, wanting to be alone with his thoughts.

o – o – o

Thea had her head buried in grimoires when her cell phone rang later that day. She was surprised to see it was Alaric.

"Hello," she said, answering the call.

"Thea, it's Alaric... Something's happened."

Alaric quickly explained that Jules, the blonde werewolf that had killed Rose, had brought her pack into town and had captured one of the local vampires, Caroline, demanding another local, a werewolf named Tyler, in return.

"They're both just kids, Thea," said Alaric. "I hate to think what they're doing to Caroline. Damon is on his way there now, but..."

"Your faith in his ability to de-escalate the situation without violence is... lacking?" guessed Thea.

"You said you didn't want anyone to get hurt," said Alaric. "Especially innocent people. Now's your chance to prove it."

Alaric said he'd text her where the werewolves were holding Caroline hostage and then hung up.

o – o – o

When Thea arrived at the place Alaric had indicated in his text, which was in the middle of the woods, Stefan and Tyler were already there, talking to Jules who was standing near an RV. Thea saw Damon walking towards them.

"What are you doing here?" asked Damon, changing directions to confront Thea.

"Alaric called me," said Thea. "Thought you could use the help."

Damon scoffed. "More likely he wanted you to stop me from ripping these wolves to shreds."

"He said Tyler's just a kid," said Thea.

Damon looked momentarily guilty. "He's 17. And a wolf. He needs to die. They all do."

"It's that attitude that got Rose killed," said Thea.

Damon growled angrily. "Don't think because you helped me yesterday that I will hesitate to snap your neck."

Thea sighed, but decided to ignore Damon's threat. "Why don't you stay here and I'll see if I can resolve this peacefully?"

Thea marched towards where Stefan and Tyler were standing, facing Jules. Damon just narrowed his eyes and followed her.

"Tyler's free to make his own decisions," said Stefan, who had a firm grip on Tyler. "Once you release Caroline."

"My brother the peacemaker," said Damon, using vampire speed to get in front of Thea.

"It's good to see one of you is," said Thea, walking up to the group.

"What are you doing here?" asked Jules, looking at Thea. "This is between us and the vampires."

"Concerned parties asked that I intervene," said Thea. "Just give us the girl and we'll be on our way."

"Let go of Tyler," said Jules, looking back at Stefan.

"Give us Caroline first," returned Damon. "Without a full moon, it's not an even fight and you know it... We will take you."

"I'm not so sure about that tough guy," said Jules.

She whistled loudly and suddenly they were surround by about half a dozen werewolves, all of them wielding anti-vampire weapons.

"Well..." said Damon, looking at Thea. "Now would be a good time to intervene."

Thea raised an eyebrow. "Let's all just calm down."

She cautiously raised her hands. Taking down the six werewolves would be straining, but doable, as their strength and healing abilities were greatly diminished while in human form. But she was still hoping they could resolve this peacefully.

"I'm calm," said Jules. "Let's try this again. Give us Tyler."

Thea looked over at Damon. "Give peace a chance, Damon."

He heaved a big sigh, but agreed.

"You heard her," said Damon, turning to Tyler. "Go. Get over there."

Thea breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her arms. The werewolves wouldn't hurt one of their own. Tyler quickly walked over to the RV and stood behind Jules.

Thea looked around, expecting one of the werewolves to go and get Caroline.

Instead, one of the werewolves spoke up.

"Which one of you killed Mason?" the werewolf asked.

Thea frowned. "Who's Mason?"

"The werewolf I killed," answered Damon, smirking.

"Boys," said the werewolf, pointing to Damon. "Make sure that one suffers."

"Stop!" shouted Thea.

"Stay out of this, human," said the werewolf.

Damon just smirked. "Never met a witch, have you?"

Thea just rolled her eyes and raised her arms. She muttered a quick incantation and pushed her magic out, giving all the werewolves present mini-aneurysms.

All the werewolves, except Tyler, immediately grabbed their heads.

"Get the girl," Thea said in a strained voice.

She pushed her magic harder, knowing it was best for everyone if they all lost consciousness. She felt the blood dripping from her nose as all the werewolves groaned in pain around her.

Damon and Stefan quickly went into the RV and emerged a few seconds later with a pale blonde girl, who Thea assumed was Caroline.

A few more seconds and the werewolves all stopped groaning, dropping to the ground, unconscious.

"Fuck," said Thea, wiping the blood away from her nose. "That's going to be a headache tomorrow."

"Thank you," said Stefan, caring arm on Caroline's back.

Thea nodded. "We should go. They won't be out for long."

"You go on," said Damon, looking around at all the unconscious werewolves as well as Tyler, who was still standing in the shadows.

"Are you learning impaired?" asked Thea, rolling her eyes. "No one is dying tonight." She turned to Tyler. "When they wake up, tell them to leave town. There's enough trouble coming without a werewolf pack looking for revenge."

Tyler just nodded and retreated further into the dark.

"Let's go," said Thea. She looked at Caroline. "You look like you could use a blood bag or ten."

Caroline smiled. "Thank you..."

"Thea Martin. Luka's sister."

Caroline's smile fell a little, but she managed to keep a friendly face. "Oh."

"It's okay," said Thea, shaking her head. "I get that a lot."

o – o – o

"So how about a drink at mine?" asked Damon, as he leaned against his car.

Stefan had just left with Caroline and Thea and Damon were standing near the road where they'd parked their cars.

Thea frowned. "Why?"

"Drinking is how I say thank you," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Aren't we enemies?" asked Thea.

Damon smirked. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

Thea laughed. "You're a piece of work, Damon."

Damon's smirk just grew. "So what do you say?"

"I'm going to have to decline," said Thea, shaking her head.

"Ah, come on," coaxed Damon. "My bourbon is the best. Way better than what they have at the Grill."

Thea chuckled softly. "I know what you're trying to do. And I get it- you're just trying to protect the people you care about. Maybe you think you can get me to open up about where the moonstone is or, hell, maybe you think you can convince me to join your team..."

Damon scoffed. "You're reading way too much into this... Maybe I just think you're cute."

Thea laughed at that. "I'm not your enemy, Damon." She paused, expression turning serious. "But I'm not your friend either."

With all she was keeping from the Mystic Falls gang, including the true nature of the curse, the fact that Elijah and her father were planning on sacrificing Elena in order to kill Klaus, it wasn't smart to get too close to anyone in Elena's orbit.

Damon just tilted his head. "Offer stands if you ever get thirsty."

Then he got into his car and drove off.

o – o – o

"Hey, Dad," said Thea, entering Jonas' apartment. "Do you have any angelica and..."

Thea trailed off, surprised when she saw Elijah standing next to Jonas in the living room.

"Feeling a little drained?" asked Jonas, eyebrow raised.

Thea nodded. "A little."

"Given you took on a pack of wolves by yourself, that's not entirely surprising," said Elijah.

Thea sighed, annoyed at these all-knowing Originals.

"You're welcome," said Thea, moving past Elijah to get the herbs her father was holding out.

"Indeed," said Elijah, smiling and looking Thea in the eye. "Thank you."

Thea smiled, though his intense stare was a little unnerving, as if he were trying to read her thoughts with his glance.

"Well," said Thea, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "I'm going to make some tea with these." She held up the healing herbs Jonas had given her. "And go to bed."

"Before you go," said Elijah. "I was hoping to have a word."

"About what?" asked Thea.

Elijah looked at Jonas, who nodded slowly, almost reluctantly.

Thea frowned at the odd exchange of glances.

"What?" she asked, confused. "What's going on? What did you want to talk about?"

Elijah sighed, tilting his head and fixing her with that unreadable, penetrating stare.

"About how you serve Klaus."

Thea gasped. "What do you mean?"

"Your father confronted me earlier," said Elijah. "About the true nature of the curse. As I was once among them, I happen to know that only those in his inner circle are told the truth."

Thea tried to control her breathing. "Like I told my father, Greta and I talked about it. And she's in Klaus' inner circle."

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "I see you choose your words carefully, Thea... You say you and your sister discussed this, but from who did you learn the truth?"

"Don't lie, Thea," said Jonas, voice firm.

"You, you don't understand," said Thea, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice.

"All this time," said Jonas, angrily. "All this time I've been searching for your sister. For the monster that manipulated her. And you've been secretly on his side. Where is she? Tell me right now!"

"I don't know!" exclaimed Thea. "I'm not one of his witches, I swear! I'm not lying."

"Then how do you know of the hybrid curse?" demanded Elijah. "If you are not one of his?"

Thea looked from Elijah to Jonas, trying to hold back her tears. She had to tell the truth. Her father would hate her forever, but it seemed like he would anyway. And maybe she was beyond caring at this point.

"I'm not one of his witches," said Thea, slowly. "But I used to be."

Elijah frowned. "Klaus does not release witches from his circle... At least not alive."

Thea pursed her lips. "He made an exception."

"Klaus does not make exceptions," said Elijah, shaking his head. "Your silence would be too important."

Thea scoffed. "He knew I wouldn't talk."

"And why is that?" asked Elijah, still looking at Thea skeptically.

Thea sighed and shook her head, not wanting to form the words.

"Ah," said Elijah, finally understanding. "I see."

"What?" asked Jonas, still looking confused. "Why did he let you go?"

Thea sighed and looked at Jonas warily. "Because when I refused to help him anymore, he took Greta in my place."

 **A/N: Little pieces of the puzzle coming together... I'm planning on some flashbacks next chapter of some of the backstory (how Thea came to work for Klaus, how it all fell apart, etc.)**

 **Let me know what you think so far!**


	5. Flashback Interlude

**A/N: I originally meant to have this chapter be flashbacks, plus the next episode, but the flashbacks ended up being longer than I thought, so the chapter covering the events of 'Crying Wolf' will be next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

Elijah shook his head, bitterly. "A common tactic. Klaus often uses loved ones as leverage."

"What?" Jonas yelled angrily. "I can't believe this! You lied to me! You brought this on our family."

Thea closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears in. "I know. I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

Jonas' expression softened slightly at his daughter's obvious distress.

"Why would you work for him, Thea?" he asked. "Knowing what he is? His intentions?"

Thea sighed. "You don't understand. It's not like he walked up to me one day and said 'Hi, I'm an evil vampire who wants to become an evil hybrid so I can spawn other evil hybrids like myself, want to work for me?'," she said sarcastically. "I didn't even know it was him at first..."

 _June 2008, University of Texas-Austin_

 _Thea frowned, looking at the computer screen, window open to the records section of the coven._

" _You've had Cassandra's talisman for a month," said Thea, looking up at the young witch, Sarah. "The coven wants it for the celebration next week."_

" _I know," said Sarah, biting her lip nervously. "My roommate and I were trying to help her cousin... she's having trouble having a baby."_

 _Thea shook her head. "That talisman won't help you."_

" _My roommate said she heard Cassandra's talisman was really powerful," said Sarah, frowning._

" _It is," nodded Thea. "But she spelled it for defensive purposes. It's really useful for boundary spells, protection spells. For a fertility spell, it's pretty much a paperweight."_

" _Oh," said Sarah, blushing a little._

 _Thea smiled warmly. Sarah was a freshmen and was a fairly new witch. Her mother was non-practicing, but had sent her daughter to the university so she could get a background on her heritage._

" _It's okay," said Thea. "It's a common mistake." She turned around and plucked another talisman off the shelf. "This will be more useful."_

 _Sarah nodded. "Thanks, Thea."_

" _No problem," said Thea. "Being the coven's archivist has its perks. You'll need to sign for it though."_

 _Sarah leaned down and scratched her signature on the check-out card. Then she handed Cassandra's talisman to Thea._

 _Sarah said good-bye to Thea and retreated from the archive room._

 _Thea got up and went into the rows of shelves, putting Cassandra's talisman back where it belonged. She frowned when she saw a grimoire out of place, taking it and putting it back on the right shelf._

 _She made her way back to the front desk and was startled to see a man there she'd never seen before. The coven's archive room was spelled so only witches could enter, just in case a lost student accidently tried to come in, and Thea knew all the coven members, as well as all the student witches and professors that attended the university._

" _Can I help you?" asked Thea. "These archives are reserved for the local coven and those that attend the university. Guests need pre-approval from the coven's elders."_

" _I'm not interested in your collection," said the man. "I'm here to speak with you... You are Thea Martin, right? The coven's archivist?"_

 _Thea nodded. "Yes. And you are?"_

 _The man smiled. "My name is Maddox Harris. I represent a company that could use someone of your expertise."_

" _What kind of company?" asked Thea._

 _Maddox smiled. "Let's just say, compared to the collection here, it's quite the challenge for an archivist like yourself."_

 _Thea was intrigued, to say the least. Jonas had not been the most loving father, he was often emotionally and physically distant, but he had instilled in Thea a love of learning, particularly of their magical history._

 _Some of the best times that Thea could remember had been sitting in her father's lap, listening to him describe the spells in the grimoire he was studying, fingering the worn pages with her child-sized hands. It was like she could literally feel the Spirits when she touched the pages._

 _When she had come to the University of Texas for school, she'd been in awe of their magical collection, that included not only grimoires, but an assortment of magical objects, either donated from the local coven, which supported the many witch extracurriculars at the school, or from alumni._

 _The next week, she met Maddox at an old estate just outside the Austin city limits. The estate may have been old, but the security was state-of-the-art. Thea had to show her I.D. twice in order to gain entrance into the house._

" _Hello, Thea," said Maddox, striding toward the foyer where Thea stood, having been asked to wait there by one of the security staff. "Glad you could make it."_

" _Yeah," said Thea, smiling nervously. "I'm surprised I didn't have to consent to a strip search."_

 _Maddox's smile faltered a little. "You'll have to forgive all the security. As you'll see the collection here is priceless. And many of the objects and grimoires contain... dark magic. It's best it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."_

 _Thea nodded. "I understand. There are a few objects only the coven's elders are allowed to handle. They're kept in a special safe that only they can open."_

" _Well, you won't find any locked safes here," said Maddox. "You're not allowed to take anything out of the house, I'm afraid, but everything is fair game. That's why you're here, of course. Follow me."_

 _Maddox gestured to the right and soon he and Thea were walking down a long corridor._

" _Just how big is this collection?" asked Thea._

" _The company has been collecting objects and grimoires for a while now," said Maddox._

 _Maddox paused before a door and opened it._

 _Thea's eyes bugged out when she stepped into the room. It was clear the room was originally intended as a library, but it was huge. At least four or five times bigger than the coven's archives and every shelf, every surface was covered with all manner of magical objects: grimoires stacked haphazardly, weapons and talismans, crowded into overflowing bins._

" _This... is incredible," said Thea, her voice full of awe. "What company is this?"_

 _Maddox shrugged. "It's more of an estate. An old, magical family of collectors. The son just recently inherited the collection and he's looking for someone to organize it. Catalog everything."_

 _Thea just nodded, her eyes flitting about. Everywhere she looked she saw something amazing._

" _Oh my god," she exclaimed, going over to a nearby table. "Is that... a Hand of Glory?"_

 _Maddox smiled. "Yep."_

" _Wow," said Thea, impressed. "I've read about these... they open any doorway, right?"_

 _Maddox nodded. "There are a few in this collection. If you wanted to use one, I could maybe ask..."_

 _Thea was surprised. "Really? I mean, I'm fine. There's no one I want to talk to that I can't just pick up the phone... But wow."_

 _She spotted another object nearby and was itching to look at it, but forced herself to turn to Maddox._

" _This place is amazing!"_

 _Maddox just nodded. "I'll relay your comments to our benefactor, when I report on your progress after you start."_

 _Thea nodded. "When will I get to meet this benefactor?"_

 _Maddox tensed a little. "He's out of town at the moment. Maybe when he returns."_

 _Thea frowned a little, but didn't comment on Maddox's evasiveness._

" _Okay, where should I get started?"_

 _Maddox shrugged. "Wherever you like." He pointed at a few old, yellowing books. "Someone attempted to catalogue some things back in the seventies. Those are their records."_

 _Thea nodded, moving to pick up those books, while Maddox walked back toward the door._

" _One more thing, Thea," said Maddox, pausing at the threshold of the door. "You're not allowed to tell anyone what you're doing here. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, you're just a part-time member of Mr. Smith's staff. It's for security purposes, due to the value of this collection. I'm sure you understand?"_

 _Thea felt her gut clench in suspicion. There was something strange going on here, but the wonderful objects surrounding her called to her. Maybe she was imagining things. She couldn't blame this 'Mr. Smith' if he wanted to keep this collection a secret._

" _Of course, Maddox," said Thea. "I understand..."_

"And you didn't think anything was odd about that?" demanded Jonas.

"Of course I thought it was odd," said Thea. "I just..." She shrugged. "He had objects there that I thought were myths. No restrictions, as much access as I wanted..."

"He used your thirst for knowledge against you," said Elijah.

"That's what he does," said Thea, sighing. "He finds out what you want and figures out a way to use it to manipulate you."

"And what did this 'Maddox' want?" asked Jonas.

"His daughter was sick," explained Thea. "She had this rare form of leukemia. Something no magic or vampire blood could cure. Klaus got her the best treatment, the best doctors, flown in from all over the world, no expense spared. When I left, she was a happy, healthy 8-year-old who was looking forward to a long life. And all it took was a lifetime of loyalty from Maddox."

"Son of a bitch," said Jonas, shaking his head, clearly feeling for Maddox's plight.

"Well, I didn't know it then," said Thea. "For all I knew this 'benefactor' was just oddly disfigured or some sort of crazy Howard Hughes-type person. I didn't know he was the oldest, evilest vampire."

"But eventually he revealed himself," said Elijah, wanting to move the conversation forward. "Is that when you dissolved your relationship?"

Thea sighed. "I wish I could say it was..."

 _September 2008, Austin_

 _It had been nearly three months that Thea had been working for the mysterious Mr. Smith. She came to the old house a few days a week, staying for as long as she could, exploring and cataloging all the mysterious objects and grimoires in the collection._

 _Maddox often came to check on her progress, answer any questions she had, and asking some of his own._

" _Do you know what this is?" asked Maddox, holding up a white stone._

" _Of course," answered Thea. "It's a moonstone. Fairly rare. Useful for binding spells meant to endure. Its most famous use was for the Sun and Moon curse."_

" _What do you know about that curse?"_

" _Is this another test?" asked Thea, laughing._

" _What do you mean?" asked Maddox, frowning._

" _You think I haven't noticed?" asked Thea, tilting her head. "You come in here. Asking questions about spells and objects. Questions I know that you already know the answers to. So what gives?"_

 _Maddox shrugged. "Nothing. Just want to make sure you're being challenged."_

 _Thea rolled her eyes. "Please don't insult my intelligence. What's going on?"_

" _I'm not sure I understand what you mean," said Maddox, face turning a bit sour._

 _Thea crossed her arms. "I'm not stupid... There's some mysterious benefactor who's always out or at a meeting when I'm here. I'm not allowed to tell anybody what I'm doing for security reasons, despite the fact that you have the best security money can buy, both standard and magical._

' _You've been asking me questions about curses and binding spells ever since I got here, and now, you're asking about the Sun and the Moon curse. It doesn't take a genius to figure out this is about more than just me cataloging some old family's collection of magical relics. So tell me, really, why am I here?"_

 _Maddox stared at her unblinking for a second. "He said he thought you were smart."_

" _Who did?" asked Thea, frowning._

" _Just a second," said Maddox. "I'll be right back. Hopefully with some answers."_

 _Thea sighed, but just stood there, watching Maddox retreated behind the door. She waited for nearly an hour, impatiently paging through a grimoire._

 _She heard the door open behind her._

" _Took you long enough," she said, getting up and turning around. "You'd better have an..."_

 _She trailed off when she saw it wasn't Maddox who had come through the door. It was man, a few years older than her, with dark blond hair, curled slightly, and piercing blue eyes._

" _Hello, Thea," he said, his accented voice echoing slightly off the shelves._

 _Thea tried for a smile. "Hello... Are you the mysterious benefactor or just another underling?"_

" _This collection is mine," he said, looking around the room and walking towards her._

 _The move brought him closer to Thea and she tried to suppress her gasp when she sensed his vampirism. It was a little trick her father had taught her when she was young._

" _Who are you?" she asked, taking a cautious step back._

" _Before I answer that," he said. "Please know that I mean you no harm."_

 _Thea scoffed. "You lied to get me here. You lied about what you are and what I'm doing here. You'll forgive me if I don't believe you."_

 _Thea blinked and all of a sudden he was standing inches from her. She acted without thinking and sent him flying back, pinning him against a nearby shelf with her magic._

 _He just smiled and make no move to resist her magic. "You're in my house, love. Surrounded by my people. You have been for months now. If I'd wanted to harm you, surely you realize I'd have done so by now."_

 _Thea looked at him with narrowed eyes, but lowered her hand, releasing him from her magic. His words were true._

" _Who are you?" asked Thea._

 _He flashed in front of her again and she did her best not to flinch._

" _My name is Klaus."_

 _Thea took an involuntary step backward. "Klaus? As in... the Klaus? The Original Vampire? I thought..."_

" _I was a myth?" supplied Klaus, smirking. "I've done my best to encourage such tales."_

 _Thea tilted her head, trying to decide if she believed him._

" _Don't believe me, love?" asked Klaus._

 _He picked up a nearby chair, broke off a leg and shoved it into his heart._

" _Oh my god!" exclaimed Thea, eyes widening in shock._

 _She looked for the tell-tale greying of skin that showed when a vampire had been killed, but there was nothing._

" _You're telling the truth," said Thea, voice barely above a whisper._

 _Klaus smirked and removed the chair leg._

" _Yes," he said, dropping the leg on the floor._

 _Thea looked up at him. "What do you want with me?"_

" _That depends," said Klaus, scrutinizing her. "Are you still in my employ? Now that you know who exactly you've been working for?"_

 _Thea crossed her arms. "It depends on what you want. I'm not one of those witches who thinks all vampires are evil. But your reputation..."_

" _Is well-deserved," finished Klaus. "For the most part. But I asked you here for a specific purpose. Because you possess a very specific set of skills."_

 _Thea frowned. "You really just want me to organize your collection?"_

" _No," said Klaus. "I will tell you what I want from you, but you must promise me that you will hold true to your earlier oath of secrecy... I know you've kept your word so far."_

 _Thea hesitated, looking around. Despite the revelation of his true identity, she had loved working here. Maddox was nice, the money was good and his collection was spectacular._

" _You will, of course, continue to have full access to all the magical objects and grimoires that I have here," he said, as if reading her thoughts._

" _Okay," she said, finally._

" _Maddox spoke with you about a curse," Klaus began. "Bound with a moonstone."_

 _Thea nodded. "The Sun and the Moon curse."_

 _Klaus chuckled. "There is no such curse."_

 _Thea stood wide-eyed while Klaus told her the truth. What he was, or had been, really, what the real curse was. And that he wanted her help to break it, without the doppelganger._

" _Why would the Original witch do that?" asked Thea. "Suppress your werewolf side?"_

" _She considered me an abomination," said Klaus, his eyes betraying the tiniest hint of hurt at his words. "A crime against nature."_

 _Thea raised an eyebrow. "Probably because it made you too powerful. Too strong. Even Original vampires have to have weaknesses... I'm guessing being a werewolf-vampire hybrid-type creature wouldn't have many."_

" _That's not why she did it!" snarled Klaus, his emotions clearly getting the better of him._

" _Okay," said Thea, backing away a little, seeing she'd touched a nerve._

 _Klaus' eyes narrowed at Thea's wary expression._

" _She locked part of me away," he said, seeming almost sad. "Severed the connection to my true self." He paused, looking her in the eye. "Have you known any werewolves, Thea?"_

 _Thea nodded. "Yes. A few..." She closed her eyes, lost in a memory. "I remember they used to tell me how awful the transformation was, but when it was over and they were running under the full moon, they'd never felt freer. Like somehow, turning into a wolf was tapping into their true nature, if only for a few hours."_

 _Klaus' face looked almost painful at her description, before he quickly hid it behind his neutral stare._

" _So will you help me?" asked Klaus. "Attempt to release me from this curse?"_

 _Thea bit her lip, knowing she really shouldn't. But honestly, she felt bad for him, and she didn't want to abandon the collection. Besides, she thought, what were the chances that she could find a way to break the curse without the original binding agent?_

" _Alright," said Thea. "I guess I can try."_

"A few months later, I found out that he'd lied. That he wanted to break the curse to make more hybrids and create some type of hybrid super-army," sighed Thea.

She didn't want to get into the whole story of her and Klaus' falling out. What did it matter? The point was she had decided to stop working for him and he'd decided to take Greta instead.

"Please tell me you left his inner circle then," said Jonas, sighing.

Thea nodded. "Yeah."

"And Greta?" asked Elijah.

"It wasn't long after I'd stopped working for Klaus," said Thea. "Maddox kept bothering me, saying no one leaves Klaus' service, until one day he stopped calling, stopped coming around. A few days later, Greta told me she'd been approached by him. And this time, he didn't bother keeping his identity to himself."

 _February 2009, Austin_

" _Happy Valentine's Day!" gushed Greta, reaching over to hug Thea in greeting._

" _Happy Valentine's Day," Thea returned, surprised. "Breaking your long tradition of boycotting?"_

 _Greta shrugged, moving into Thea's apartment. "It's not all bad, I guess."_

 _Thea laughed a little. "Okay, what's his name?"_

" _I don't know what you're talking about..." said Greta, making herself comfortable on Thea's couch._

" _Oh come on," said Thea, sitting beside her sister. "You practically invented the Anti-Valentine's Day party. You once told me that the only good thing about Valentine's Day was the marked-down chocolate the day after."_

 _Greta smiled shyly. "Maybe I met someone who changed my mind."_

 _Thea smiled, Greta's enthusiasm infectious. Even though Thea had just broken up with her boyfriend, she was happy for Greta. Greta had not traditionally had a lot of luck in love. She always complained that the boys never noticed her._

" _Who is this guy?" asked Thea. "Or girl?"_

" _It's not a guy, per say," said Greta. "I mean, he's technically my boss now. But I don't know... he gave me this as a Valentine's day gift."_

 _She held up a delicate bracelet that encircled her wrist._

" _It's pretty," said Thea. "Wait, boss? Did you get a new job?"_

 _Greta nodded. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but he said I could tell you. He said he knows you're trustworthy."_

 _Thea frowned. "Who is this guy?"_

" _His name is Klaus," said Greta. "You know, like that Original Vampire we heard about as kids."_

 _Thea felt her heart clench in her chest. "What?"_

" _He's really nice, though," said Greta. "I think he's just misunderstood, you know?"_

" _What does Klaus want with you?" asked Thea, though she was afraid she already knew the answer to that question._

 _Greta's voice dropped to a whisper. "You know how Dad was always making us read those old grimoires, creating our own spells from them? Well, Klaus has been cursed. He thinks maybe there's a way to break it without the original binding agent. He wants me to figure it out."_

 _Thea frowned. "He's a vampire, Greta. He was probably cursed for a good reason."_

 _Greta looked slightly angry. "You don't know him. This curse locked away part of who he is. He used to be a hybrid, part-werewolf and part-vampire. He just wants to unbind his werewolf side."_

" _That sounds dangerous, Greta..."_

" _What do you know about it?" demanded Greta. "You don't even know him."_

 _Thea sighed. "Greta..."_

" _You're just jealous," said Greta._

 _Thea was taken aback. "What?"_

 _Greta stood up. "You've always been picked over me. Dad always thought you were so brilliant and powerful and I was just the sad, younger sister."_

 _Thea frowned, surprised how different Greta's perspective on their childhood was. "Greta, that's not true."_

" _And now someone powerful has picked me and you can't stand it," continued Greta, heading for the door._

" _Greta, you have to listen to me," said Thea. "Klaus is dangerous. You can't trust him. You just met him."_

 _Greta scoffed. "Klaus thinks I'm smart and powerful. He said he's been watching all the witches here and he picked me."_

 _Thea sighed. Klaus truly did know what he was doing. Showering Greta with praise and little pieces of affection. Something their parents had never really given any of them._

" _Greta, just think carefully about this," said Thea. "He's a vampire. You can't trust him."_

" _Give me one good reason why I shouldn't help him," said Greta. "You've helped vampires before. Don't tell me you're starting to buy the elders' 'vampires are the enemy' crap?"_

 _Thea sighed. She wanted to tell Greta the truth. She really did. But she was ashamed. Ashamed she'd helped Klaus willingly for so long._

" _That's what I thought," said Greta. "I have to go. Klaus and I are having dinner. He's going to tell me more about the curse."_

"You mustn't blame yourself," said Elijah. "I doubt there is anything you could have done."

He looked pointedly at Jonas, as if daring the man to continue blaming Thea for Greta's choices. Jonas just looked deep in thought.

"Thanks, Elijah," said Thea, smiling at him. "I did try. And not just with Greta."

 _February 2009, Austin_

" _Where is he?" asked Thea, angrily pushing past the startled man who answered the door to Klaus' home._

" _I'm sorry, Mr. Smith..."_

" _Klaus!" she shouted, striding towards his office. "Klaus!"_

" _Your shouting could wake the dead," said Klaus, appearing in front of her._

 _He sent a withering look towards the man who'd answered the door and he retreated quickly._

" _Funny," said Thea, rolling her eyes._

" _To what do I owe the pleasure?" asked Klaus in an unfriendly tone._

" _What do you think?" spat Thea. "What the hell are you doing with my sister?"_

 _Klaus shrugged. "I fail to see how that's any of your business."_

" _Of course it's my business," said Thea, angrily. "She's my sister. I don't want her working for you."_

" _How fortunate for me that's not your decision to make."_

" _Stay away from my sister, Klaus," Thea threatened. "Don't make me involve the coven."_

 _Klaus zoomed to stand in front of her, vampiric features showing._

" _Breathe a word to anyone of who and what I am and I will kill your sister in ways you cannot imagine," said Klaus._

 _Thea took a deep breath, trying to calm her fear._

" _Why not just kill me?" asked Thea._

 _Klaus' gaze softened for a split second. "We were once friends, Thea. At least for my part. And believe what you will about me, but I do not kill my friends."_

 _Thea raised an eyebrow. "More likely you're hoping I have a change of heart."_

 _Klaus smirked. "There is always that... And in the meantime, keeping your sister close will ensure your silence... She may not have your mind or magical talent, but I've no doubt she'll be a loyal little witch. Quite besotted, she is."_

 _Thea clenched her jaw in anger, but didn't have a response. She couldn't risk Greta's safety. She didn't doubt the sincerity of Klaus' threat and she wanted to respect her sister's choices. Growing up under the authoritarian thumb of Jonas had taught her to respect others' autonomy, even if she knew, deep in her heart, that this wouldn't end well._

"I only saw him a few times after that," said Thea. "Always in Greta's presence."

"Did she know she was being used?" asked Jonas.

Thea shook her head. "I don't think she'd believe me. She chose to stay with him, even after he told her the real reason he wanted to break the curse. She kept going on about 'the new order' and how Klaus was going to change the supernatural world."

"And you didn't think to warn anyone?" demanded Jonas.

"I didn't think he would actually be able to break the curse," Thea said defensively. "He's been trying for a thousand years. What were the odds he'd get lucky during our lifetime?"

Jonas didn't have a response to that, just fell silent again.

"I believe you," said Elijah, looking at Thea. "I trust that you are not working for him. I think, perhaps, I finally understand your fervor for not wanting to see the curse broken."

Thea tilted her head. "But our deal is the same?"

"Yes," answered Elijah. He turned to Jonas. "And you? Will you honor our agreement?"

Jonas looked up, staring at Thea.

"Were they together? When she left, were they...?" Jonas trailed off, clearly not wanting to finish that awful question.

"I don't think so," said Thea. "Greta had feelings for him, but I don't know that he felt the same way."

"He just used her feelings to get what he wanted," snarled Jonas. "A loyal witch."

"Maybe," offered Thea. "I don't know. Greta and I fought about Klaus so many times. She stopped confiding in me."

Jonas was silent for a moment before he spoke up. "Our deal is still good, Elijah. This doesn't change anything. Now I just know how she was manipulated by him. Once he's gone, she'll come back to us."

Elijah tilted his head. "Then I wish you a good night." He paused, looking at Thea. "There is a... gathering of sorts tomorrow. In my honor."

Thea shrugged. "Okay... what do you want a witch bodyguard?"

Elijah smiled. "I'm trying to ascertain the location of the witch sacrifice site. Whatever our plan to stop Klaus will be, we need to find it. This gathering is being hosted by the Historical Society."

"You're hoping some of the members can help lead you to the site?" guessed Thea.

"I'm exploring all my options at the moment," said Elijah, looking into her eyes. "I would ask your father to accompany me, but I believe that may draw unnecessary attention in a small town such as this."

Thea smiled, chuckling a little. "I guess I can pretend to be your date."

"I'll see you tomorrow then," said Elijah, returning her smile before exiting Jonas' apartment swiftly.

Thea turned to Jonas. "So..."

Jonas shook his head. "Why didn't you tell me, Thea?"

"Because I didn't want to see the look on your face when you figured out this is all my fault!" She clenched her jaw. "I should have told him to go to hell the minute he told me his name."

"Yes, you should have," said Jonas in a hard voice. Then he sighed, looking exhausted. "But I know why you didn't."

Thea frowned, not expecting her father to be understanding at all.

"I remember when you were a little girl," said Jonas. "You would look at my grimoires for hours. Even before you could read English, let alone Latin or French or Arabic. You would just stare at the symbols, trace them with your hand. You told me you could feel the magic in the pages, the legacy the witches left behind."

Thea tilted her head, surprised to see the faintest hint of moisture in Jonas' eyes.

"I loved these grimoires," she said, looking at them. "I still do... The story of our ancestors is written in these pages. You taught me that."

"And that bastard used it against you," said Jonas, looking angry again.

"We'll stop him," said Thea. "We'll stop him and find Greta."

Jonas nodded, though he looked less sure of himself than he had earlier, when he had insisted that Greta was just being manipulated and once she was free of Klaus' influence, she'd come back to her family.

"We'll get her back," insisted Thea. "I don't care if she stopped calling of her own free will or if Klaus had something to do with it. Once he's gone, it won't matter."

Jonas nodded once more and got up, moving towards his bedroom.

"Thank you, Thea," he said, then closed the door behind him.

Thea sighed, still feeling the ache in her chest from when she'd overextended her magic earlier, subduing all the werewolves. She quickly made herself a cup of tea with the healing herbs and went to bed.

 **A/N: I wasn't sure if Klaus (pre-breaking-the-curse), would temporarily desiccate like the other Originals when staked. I'm pretty sure he doesn't after the curse was broken, but I don't know that they established what would happen before then. Given he was protected from the ash daggers by his werewolf side, I figured it wasn't a stretch that stakes wouldn't work either.**


	6. Crying Wolf

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry about the delay- real life, blah, blah, blah.**

 **Anyway, I agree- the Martins are totally living on planet denial about Greta coming back to them. It's amazing what lies we'll believe when it comes to the people we love. I was not a fan of Jonas, but he definitely deserved a better daughter than Greta.**

Thea awoke the next morning and ran into Luka in the kitchen, while Jonas was out on an errand.

"Morning," said Thea, grabbing a mug and pouring coffee.

"Morning," returned Luka, taking a bite of his toast. "How are you feeling? Dad told me how you took out a pack of werewolves last night."

Thea smiled. "It was hardly a pack. Just six of them."

"Still," said Luka, shaking his head. "I wish I could do that."

Thea shrugged. "You will someday."

Luka scoffed. "You know that's not true. I'm not a first-born."

"I think that's an old wives' tale."

Luka tilted his head. "Maybe... Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, I'm not mad."

Thea frowned. "Really?"

"Really," confirmed Luka. "I get it. Dad wasn't listening when you asked to find another solution."

"Huh?" asked Thea, confused.

"I meant I'm not mad about you taking the moonstone," said Luka, frowning at Thea's confusion. "Did you think I meant something else?"

Thea sighed, realizing Jonas hadn't told Luka about her whole history with Klaus, the true curse, and the reason that Greta had ended up with him.

Thea opened her mouth to tell Luka, but a horn beeped outside.

"I've got to get to school," he said. "I'll see you later."

Thea nodded, taking another sip of her coffee as she watched Luka leave. She hoped that Jonas just hadn't had time to speak with Luka yet, and he wasn't purposefully keeping his son in the dark.

She knew it had been painful and disheartening to hear, especially as it diminished the possibility that Greta would return to the family willingly, but Luka deserved to know the truth.

o – o – o

Thea's phone buzzed and she smiled, seeing it was Alaric, thanking her for her help in rescuing Caroline from the werewolves.

She texted backed, 'You're welcome', putting her phone down and heading into the shower. An hour later, the doorbell rang and she opened it, revealing Elijah.

"Are you ready?" he asked, looking dashing in his usual tailored suit.

Thea smiled. "Ready. I wasn't sure what to wear to a tea gathering, so I hope this is okay."

"You look lovely," said Elijah, smiling at her semi-formal dress and cardigan.

"Thanks... Shall we?"

Elijah smiled and motioned for Thea to follow him. They walked down the stairs to the street where Elijah had parked his car.

She raised her eyebrows when he opened the door for her, but didn't comment.

"Thank you," she said, getting in.

She buckled her seatbelt while Elijah slid into the driver's seat. They talked about the plan for the gathering, the types of questions to ask, etc. to get more information from the Historical Society's members about potential places for the witch massacre site.

"What do you think the chances are of finding something today?" Thea asked when they'd finished talking strategy.

"It's unclear how much true history this group knows. The records of this town's founding are extensive, but the site predates that event by two centuries."

"Wow," said Thea. "Didn't realize this place had been inhabited for so long."

Elijah chuckled. "Oh, this place has been populated since before I was born."

"And when did that happen, exactly?" asked Thea.

Elijah raised his eyebrows. "Are you asking how old I am?"

"I can't help being curious. There are so many rumors about the Original family of vampires. Some people say a group of witches cast a spell to cure a village of Black Plague suffers, but then the children born to those villagers were born monsters, the Original vampires, in retaliation for the witches that tried to subvert the natural order."

"That would suggest that the Original family of vampires were not truly of one family," said Elijah.

Thea laughed. "Family in that case would be a loose term."

"Tell me," said Elijah, clearly amused by this conversation. "What other tales have you heard?"

"Well, there's the one that says Klaus is the oldest and that he was born in Jerusalem in 20 B.C. and he became a vampire by drinking the blood of Jesus Christ at the crucifixtion."

Elijah looked surprised. "I hadn't heard that one."

"I'm not surprised," said Thea, shaking her head. "I'm pretty sure that one was started by Klaus himself."

"He does tend toward self-aggrandizement."

"You know him well," stated Thea.

Elijah sighed. "I thought that I did."

"Are you ever going to tell us why you hate him so much?" asked Thea. "You know my secret. That I used to work for him."

Elijah regarded her for a moment as he pulled up to the Lockwood house.

"He killed my family," Elijah finally said.

"Oh my god!" gasped Thea. "You mean like your wife and children..."

"No, no," said Elijah, shaking his head. "I've never had the privilege of either. He killed my siblings. And my mother."

"I'm so sorry, Elijah," said Thea. "That's awful. How did he...? Did he do it in retaliation? After you left his inner circle?"

She suddenly felt grateful that Klaus had just charmed and manipulated Greta. That her family was still alive.

"Something like that," said Elijah, sighing. Then he looked up at the Lockwood house. "Shall we, my dear?"

o – o – o

Thea took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face as she and Elijah entered the Lockwood house.

They were greeted by a girl in a gray maid's outfit, carrying a tray that had teacups and teapot.

"Tea, sir, ma'am?" asked the girl.

Thea bristled a bit at being called "ma'am", she was only 22 after all, but knew it was a southern custom to a certain extent. Though she was originally from Louisiana, after six years of living in the not-really-southern city of Austin, she wasn't used to those customs anymore.

"I'll have a cup," said Thea, smiling politely.

Elijah shook his head. "No, thank you."

After Thea had her tea cup in hand, she and Elijah mingled for a bit. He introduced her to one of the Historical Society members he'd already met, as well as a local media personality, Andie Starr.

"So how long have you lived in Mystic Falls?" Thea asked Andie, when Elijah left the two of them to speak with Mayor Lockwood.

"I moved here a few years ago," answered Andie. "When I got the job at the station. Where are you from?"

"Austin."

"Where did you meet Elijah?" Andie asked. "He said he was from New York."

"He's friends with my father," answered Thea. "I'm curious. This 'Historical Society' of Mystic Falls. Is it a casual group or are there actual historians?"

Andie opened her mouth to answer, when she smiled instead.

"He came!" she exclaimed.

"Who?" asked Thea.

"My boyfriend," answered Andie. "I'll introduce you."

Thea followed Andie's gaze and was only slightly surprised to see Andie was talking about Damon, who'd just entered the Lockwood house.

Thea shook her head as she followed Andie. Damon had invited Thea for a drink at his house just last night. It didn't exactly shock Thea that he had a girlfriend, though. He seemed like a player.

Thea's eyes slid to the scarf tied around Andie's neck and she felt anger boil in her stomach. Was she a girlfriend or a juice box?

"Damon," said Andie. "You came. Hi."

She and Damon kissed quickly.

"Hi," he returned.

"Hello," said Thea, walking up to join them and a blonde woman.

"This is..." Andie began.

"Thea," finished Damon, fixing Thea with a narrowed stare. "We met at the Grill."

"Oh," said Andie. She gestured towards the blonde woman. "This is Jenna."

Before Jenna and Thea could shake hands, Damon interrupted. "What are you doing here, Thea?"

Thea raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same question."

Damon smirked. "I asked you first."

"Thea's friends with Elijah," answered Andie.

Damon frowned, while Jenna's face broke out into a smile.

"I wasn't aware Elijah had any friends in town," said Jenna.

"I'm just visiting," answered Thea. She turned to Damon. "So? Why are you here? Not really your scene, Damon."

"I've just heard so much about the famous Elijah," answered Damon. "I decided I had to meet him for myself."

"Elijah is charming," said Jenna.

Andie nodded. "He really is."

Damon rolled his eyes and looked at Thea.

"What?" she asked. "Elijah and I are just acquaintances. He's a friend of my father's. But I'd be careful, Damon. Elijah's a powerful man. If you're planning on breaking out the measuring stick, I have a feeling you'll lose."

Jenna's jaw dropped while Andie just laughed.

Thea saw Elijah smile slightly out of the corner of her eye and she wondered if he'd overheard what she'd said.

"Thanks for the tip," Damon said sarcastically, before stalking away to where Elijah was still speaking with the mayor.

Thea spoke with Jenna and Andie a little longer (it was nice to speak to normal people her own age), before excusing herself and seeking out a few more members of the historical society, even though it didn't seem like they knew anything about the witches who'd been killed en-masse before the town's founding.

She was just thinking of finding Elijah when she was tapped on the shoulder on her way to the restroom.

"Hey, Thea," said Alaric's voice.

Thea turned around.

"Hey, Alaric. It's good to see you. Don't tell me you belong to the Historical Society?"

Alaric shook his head. "My girlfriend is a member. Sort of. I heard you came with Elijah? I thought you guys weren't friends?"

"We're not," answered Thea. "We're trying to find an old magical hotspot close to here. Something to use against Klaus. But we have no idea where it is."

"And you thought the Historical Society could help."

Thea shrugged. "Was worth a shot. No luck today though. We'll keep digging."

Alaric nodded.

"So who's your girlfriend?" asked Thea. "I may have met her."

"Jenna Sommers."

"Oh, Jenna," smiled Thea. "She seems nice."

"She is."

"And completely unaware of what's happening around her," said Thea.

Alaric's face darkened. "It's for her protection."

"I'm not judging," said Thea, hands raised. "My ex didn't know about me either. It's not only our own secrets we keep."

Alaric sighed. "It's not all honorable. She doesn't like Damon enough as it is."

"Wonder why?" mused Thea. "You know he invited me back to his place last night? He didn't even mention he had a girlfriend."

"I'm not sure Andie was his girlfriend last night," Alaric returned.

Thea's eyes narrowed. "Please tell me he did not compel her to be his girlfriend. To sleep with him."

Damon was obviously a vampire who skirted the line of right and wrong, but he didn't seem like a rapist.

"According to Jenna, Andie hit on him," said Alaric. "It's weird, but consensual."

Thea frowned. It's not like it was an uncommon scenario. A lot of the human/vampire couples she'd run into had a similar arrangement.

"Just make she he doesn't kill her," said Thea. "I'm pretty sure she won't consent to that."

"I can try. Damon doesn't like to be told what to do."

Thea sighed. "You guys are seriously lacking oversight here. Doesn't the human leadership have an agreement with the vampires who live here?"

Alaric looked confused. "The humans don't even know Damon and his brother are vampires. How does it work in Austin?"

"The local coven, the vampires and the humans have an arrangement. The vampires don't feed on locals, don't kill anyone and in return the witches make them daylight rings and don't team up with the humans to slaughter them."

"A logical arrangement," said Elijah, coming to stand beside Thea.

"It works," shrugged Thea.

"Are you ready to depart, my dear?" asked Elijah.

Thea nodded. "It was nice seeing you again, Alaric."

o – o – o

"It may not have been wise to reveal our true intentions to the teacher," said Elijah, when they'd gotten into his car.

"Why not?" frowned Thea, buckling her seatbelt.

"Suppose they find the witch burial ground before we do?" mused Elijah, pulling out of the driveway. "They have a witch of their own."

Thea raised an eyebrow. "And I thought Klaus was paranoid. Is that an Original thing or just you two?"

Elijah clenched his jaw, clearly unhappy about being compared to Klaus.

"I am simply being cautious," he said tensely. "Our entire plan rests on the ability to find that burial ground."

"We're never going to find it without help," returned Thea. "These people are not your enemy. Alaric's a good guy."

"Their goal is different from our own," said Elijah. "They wish to save the doppelganger at all costs. Even at the expense of others' lives."

"I'm not saying you have to embark on an epic bromance with the Salvatores," said Thea, rolling her eyes. "I'm just saying, maybe if you trust them a little, they'll trust you a little."

Elijah just looked at her skeptically.

"Or you know, keep working the guy-with-sketchy-intentions angle," said Thea, shaking her head.

"I have made my intentions clear," stated Elijah.

"Except you left out the part where you're planning to sacrifice Elena," Thea shot back.

"I never promised to keep her safe," said Elijah.

Thea sighed. "I know. When I met her, I asked about the deal she made with you. She didn't say it in so many words, but she knew."

"She is a unique young lady," said Elijah.

"She doesn't deserve to die, Elijah," said Thea. "Neither does Greta, or anyone."

Elijah looked at her sympathetically. "Am I to assume that you have not had any luck finding a way to stop Klaus prior to the ritual?"

"No," answered Thea. "I mean, nothing practical. The only things I've found will stop him temporarily. Immobilize him long enough to encase him in concrete or something like that. And I don't trust that he hasn't compelled a legion of people to go find him and dig him up if he were ever trapped."

Elijah nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

"Okay, so maybe you're not quite as paranoid as Klaus," said Thea, chuckling a little.

"Well, I appreciate the consideration," said Elijah, smiling.

Thea looked into his dark eyes and smiled back, forgetting her train of thought for a second.

"Anyway," she said, trying to remember what she was going to say. "Uh, yeah, so we either have to find something that will trap him permanently or kill him."

Elijah nodded before they lapsed into silence.

"Are you hungry?" Elijah asked, a few minutes later.

"Yeah," said Thea. "Did you just hear my stomach rumbling? Those little finger sandwiches they had weren't exactly filling."

"An early dinner, perhaps?"

Thea smiled. She really did enjoy his company.

"Sure," she answered. "As long as it's not at the Grill."

o – o – o

"This place is nice," said Thea, looking around the Asian fusion place Elijah had taken her to, a few towns outside of Mystic Falls.

"You sound surprised," said Elijah with a slight frown.

"Oh, no," said Thea. "I just... most of the vampires I've known, they're not exactly gourmet connoisseurs. Unless you count what kind of person has the tastiest blood."

"I deal with all manner of people in my travels," said Elijah. "Including humans, of course. It is advantageous to acquaint oneself with the local dining options."

"Sure," said Thea, smiling. "So what's good here?"

Elijah opened his menu and started pointing out the various dishes the place was known for. Thea marveled at how Elijah could be commanding while still being considerate. Powerful, yet without making others feel less so.

They had an enjoyable dinner, talking about a range of topics, from Thea's work, her experience in magical research, traveling. Elijah was warm, even if he didn't share much about his past.

"So, any news on Klaus?" asked Thea. "It's less than two weeks until the next full moon. News of the doppelganger has spread, the moonstone has been found..."

"No news," said Elijah. "But I've heard the same rumors you have, which means he must have heard them too. I doubt he will let another moon pass without stepping foot in Mystic Falls."

Thea nodded. "The Klaus I remember was obsessed with breaking his curse."

"You have had more recent interactions than I," said Elijah, a frown spreading over his face.

There was a lull in the conversation and Thea bit her lip, wondering how much Elijah was willing to share. He seemed to be a private man, but he'd told her about what Klaus did to his family, so it's not like she was asking completely out of nowhere.

"I don't want to pry," said Thea, hesitantly. "But I don't understand. You're an Original. If your family were Originals as well, how did Klaus kill them?"

"He scattered their bodies across the seas where they could not be found," said Elijah.

"He cloaked them and dumped them?" gasped Thea. "That's awful."

"Now you see my need for..." Elijah trailed off. "I apologize." He pulled out his phone. "Someone is persistently trying to get my attention."

He frowned when he looked at his phone. "Werewolves attacked Elena and Stefan in an attempt to get the moonstone."

"Are they okay?" asked Thea.

"Yes, though one of the wolves escaped, along with young Tyler."

"Tyler was helping them?" asked Thea, frowning. "I thought he was friends with Elena?"

"Wolf loyalty runs deep," said Elijah, shrugging. "Elena fears these wolves may have set their sights on the other Salvatore brother."

He rose. "I apologize for cutting this dinner short."

Thea got up as well. "We already ate."

"I assure you I can handle a small pack of wolves myself," Elijah said, looking almost amused that Thea wanted to help.

"I'm sure you can," said Thea. "But it can't hurt to have back-up."

Elijah tilted his head. "As you wish."

o – o – o

When Thea and Elijah arrived at the Boarding House, the front door was ajar. Elijah tilted his head, listening inside.

"I do believe they have Damon restrained," said Elijah quietly. "They're interrogating him."

Thea nodded. "At least he's still alive then."

They quickly walked into the house and Thea had to stop herself from crying out when she saw Alaric slumped on the floor.

She knelt beside him while Elijah listened for where Damon and the wolves were.

"He's dead," she said, unable to find a pulse.

Poor Alaric. He was a nice guy, and had been friendly to her, despite the fact that she was associated with Elijah.

Thea was angry. She could have killed these werewolves yesterday, when they had kidnapped the young vampire, Caroline. But she had shown them mercy and ordered them to leave town. Now Alaric was dead.

Thea followed Elijah into a large room and saw Damon sitting on a chair with a bloody neck, while Jules and a number of the other werewolves were surrounding him.

"Where is the moonstone?" asked Jules, holding up a gun.

"You're never going to get it," smirked Damon.

Thea marveled that he could look so smug while helplessly tied to a chair.

"You were warned," said Elijah, speaking up.

"I told you to leave," added Thea.

"We don't take orders from vampires or witches," said Jules, turning the gun on Thea.

Elijah moved so fast, the next thing Thea knew, Jules' heart was in his palm and her body was dropping to the floor.

The other werewolves snarled and turned to Elijah, attacking him all at once. It wasn't surprising. Wolves were definitely loyal and it was clear Jules was their alpha.

A few more seconds and the rest of the wolves were dead on the floor. Thea walked over towards Damon, muttered a few words and pushed her magic at the chains binding him to the chair. The chains fell apart, releasing Damon.

"So you realize this is the third time I've saved your life now?" mused Elijah, looking down at Damon.

Damon just looked at him stonily.

"Damon, I don't know if you saw..." said Thea, sadly. "Alaric, he..."

"He's fine," said Damon, dismissively. "He's got a fancy 'get out of being dead' ring."

Thea heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank god." Then she realized what he said. "Seriously? A resurrection ring?"

"Long story," said Damon.

His evasiveness was clear. He wasn't going to spill any secrets since Thea wouldn't.

Thea just nodded. "Tell him I'm glad he's okay when he wakes up."

Then she and Elijah left the Boarding House.

o – o – o

"Thanks for the ride," said Thea, smiling at Elijah as they pulled up outside Jonas' apartment.

"Of course," he said, tilting his head.

"And your honesty," she added. "I appreciate it. After Klaus... well, I didn't have the greatest expectations for working with an Original Vampire."

He nodded, gripping the steering wheel firmly.

"Well, good night," she said, moving to exit the car.

"Wait," he said, his hand catching her arm.

Thea tilted her head in confusion. "What is it?"

Elijah sighed. "You were right, earlier. Perhaps I ought to put my trust into people who deserve it."

Thea smiled. "Glad you think so. Damon almost said thank you."

Elijah smiled slightly. "It was not Damon to whom I was referring."

Thea frowned, confused.

"It has been many years since I met someone like you, Thea."

Thea tilted her head, hoping it was a compliment. "Thanks."

Elijah paused for a long time. So long that Thea was just about to say something when he suddenly spoke.

"He's my brother."

Thea frowned. "What?"

Who was he talking about?

"Klaus is my brother," said Elijah.

Thea's eyes widened in shock. "Your... oh my god."

 **A/N: You'll notice that I did a bit of a switch here. Because all the wolves survived when they captured Caroline (in canon Stefan and Damon killed a number of them before Jonas arrived to save the day), Brady (Jules' boyfriend) had more back-up when he attacked Stefan and Elena at the lake house, so Brady survived.**

 **But Thea and Elijah went to save Damon together, so all the werewolves that were torturing Damon died, including Jules. So Brady and Tyler are leaving Mystic Falls together, not Jules and Tyler.**

 **Anyhoo, it was a lot of Thea/Elijah in this, so I'm curious what you thought about their interactions. Next chapter's The Dinner Party...**


	7. The Dinner Party

**A/N: Thanks for your reviews, favs, follows and views!**

 **FYI- There are a few non-Thea POVs in here. The story will be mostly from Thea's POV, but there may be scenes that she's not around for that I still want to show.**

"I don't understand..." Thea frowned. "Wait if Klaus is your brother and he killed your family..."

"He killed his own mother and siblings, yes," said Elijah, sadly.

"Wow, okay," said Thea, trying to process this news. "I can't believe... I mean, I never thought Klaus was a saint, but..."

"His sea burial of my siblings came as a shock to me as well," offered Elijah.

Thea tilted her head. "Okay, so are you the boring older brother or the overprotective, condescending older brother?" She smiled. "I'm thinking the latter."

Elijah looked surprised. "He... told you of us?"

Thea nodded. "Just in passing. I mean, he didn't mention any names. But... why do you look so surprised?"

Elijah frowned. "Klaus is a very private person."

"Well, we spent a fair amount of time together," shrugged Thea. "Before I found out he was a lying, manipulative asshole bent on global domination... we were friends."

Elijah had a contemplative look on his face.

"What?" asked Thea. "I'm still determined to kill him. Or stop him. No matter what our relationship was in the past."

"Your relationship?" Elijah echoed.

Thea almost laughed at the suggestion of her and Klaus.

"We were just friends," said Thea, shaking her head. "Klaus is so not my type. I dated bad boys for a hot minute in high school. Never again."

A smile creeped onto Elijah's face. "Good to know."

Thea smiled at him, wanting to say that he was her type. Hot, mature, sophisticated, kind. But he was so reserved, she didn't dare.

"So, the Historical Society Tea was a bust," said Thea, breaking the tension. "What's next?"

"I have an appointment with Jenna Sommers tomorrow," said Elijah. "To walk the old property lines in Mystic Falls. Perhaps something will be revealed."

Thea nodded. "Good luck."

"Would you'd like to join us?" mused Elijah. "It's possible you could sense something."

"I can't," said Thea. "I'm driving up to Georgetown for the day. The occult studies professor there has a few grimoires he said I could take a look at. I still have hope for a pre-curse-breaking solution to our Klaus problem."

She was surprised how disappointed she was to be passing up the opportunity to spend more time with Elijah.

"Perhaps another time," asked Elijah.

Thea smiled. "I'd like that. Since you seem to know the best places around here to eat."

Elijah smiled. "There's an Italian place over in Lynchburg, if you return early enough tomorrow."

Thea forced herself not to jump in excitement. Was he asking her out? It seemed like it.

"Sure," she said. "Sounds great."

She moved to open the car door and was surprised when Elijah appeared there, opening it for her.

"Thanks," she said.

They walked towards the front door.

"I'll see you later, Elijah," said Thea.

She knew today hadn't been a date, but she had this insane urge to kiss him then, as they stood outside the front door.

She could have sworn his gaze fell to her lips for a split second before he stuck his hand in his pocket and wished her goodnight.

Thea sighed. Maybe tomorrow.

o – o – o

"Where were you last night, Luka?" asked Thea, looking up from her breakfast.

Thea had gotten home late the night before, but Luka wasn't in the apartment. Still, he was a teenager, so it wasn't exactly shocking he was out late.

"At the Grille," he said, though it sounded more like a question. "I think?"

"What do you mean, 'you think'?" asked Thea, frowning.

"I don't know," said Luka. "One minute I was playing pool with Bonnie and the next, I'm waking up in a bathroom stall."

"You think she did something to you?" asked Thea.

Luka sighed. "I don't know." He looked around. "Where's Dad?"

"Grocery shopping," said Thea. "Don't worry, I won't tell him if you don't want me to."

Luka nodded. "I'm going to talk to Bonnie."

He grabbed his coat.

"Let me know how it goes," said Thea.

What had Bonnie done to Luka?

Thea sighed, realizing she needed to get going. Georgetown was a two hour drive and she didn't want to be back in Mystic Falls too late. She wanted enough time to get ready for her maybe-date with Elijah.

o – o – o

Elijah held the door open for Jenna as they walked into the Grille. Though he had learned more about the history of Mystic Falls and the surrounding area, their walk through the old property lines hadn't yielded any results. He wondered if the walk would have been more fruitful with Thea.

He had been disappointed when she had declined his offer to go with him. He found himself drawn to the young witch, more than he had to anyone in a while. She was beautiful and kind, strong-willed and courageous. He had enjoyed their afternoon and evening together, and he was looking forward to tonight.

Elijah schooled his face into a neutral expression when Jenna walked over to the eldest Salvatore brother's table. Damon had his arm wrapped around a young human woman with a scarf hiding her bites- how distasteful- and was prattling on about something.

Elijah frowned slightly when Damon's donor/girlfriend suggested they have a dinner party.

"I'd be happy to host," said Damon, looking at Elijah. "Say tonight, maybe?"

Jenna graciously accepted, though Alaric seemed hesitant.

"It'd be a pleasure," said Elijah, knowing determining Damon's true intentions would have to take precedence over his plans with Thea.

"Why don't you bring your friend?" suggested Jenna. "Thea, right?"

Damon's face darkened slightly and Elijah could tell Damon didn't want her there. Which of course, meant Elijah did.

"I'll ask her," said Elijah, smiling back at Jenna.

"Great," said Damon, tightly. "We'll see you around seven."

o – o – o

"Thank you for agreeing to the change of plans," said Elijah, as they rode in his car to the Salvatore Boarding House.

Thea nodded, though she was disappointed they weren't dining alone at the Italian restaurant.

"If Damon doesn't want me there, then that means he's up to something," concluded Thea. "Any thoughts? Could be he's just hoping to ply you with alcohol and pump you for information."

"There are other means of obtaining information from someone," answered Elijah.

"Yeah, I know," she said, thinking of Luka.

Luka had called Thea later on to tell her he hadn't learned anything from Bonnie when he confronted her about his lost time. Except that he could tell she was lying. Bonnie was definitely responsible for his lost time, but he wasn't sure what had been done to him.

Thea had thought about it the whole way to and from Georgetown and she was pretty sure they had used some sort of truth spell on him. There were a lot of different ones out there and even though Luka was more experienced, Bonnie was a powerful witch- she was just untrained. The Bennett line was not one to mess around with.

"Is there something you would like to share?" asked Elijah.

Thea nodded and told Elijah about what she had learned from Luka.

"We have to assume they know everything Luka knows," said Thea. "So nothing about the real curse, or my history with Klaus, but they know we're planning to sacrifice Elena and that Klaus has Greta."

"We should be cautious," said Elijah. "They may have a more sinister plan in mind for tonight. If they believe they know everything."

Thea nodded, wondering what the night would bring.

o – o – o

Alaric sighed. "I don't like the idea of Elijah being in the same house as Jenna."

He and Damon were standing in the Boarding House, awaiting their guests for the dinner party Damon had arranged.

"Jenna is perfectly safe," said Damon. "Besides your spunky, kind-hearted witch is invited. What could go wrong?"

Alaric felt anger boil up when he thought of Thea. Now that they knew the Martins and Elijah were planning on sacrificing Elena all this time, Alaric fell foolish that he'd ever trusted Thea.

"I actually thought she was a nice girl," said Alaric. "I guess that was her plan. Get us to trust her."

"I'm sure you're not the first man to fall for those innocent doe eyes," said Damon. "Luckily, now we know the truth. She's just as bad as the rest of them."

Alaric nodded. "She's dangerous." He looked at Damon. "Doesn't mean you should kill her."

"We can't kill her, she has the moonstone," said Damon, sipping his drink. "Besides, tonight is just a fact-finding mission. It's totally harmless."

A few more minutes of Alaric insisting nothing should go down with Jenna in the house and Andie walked in, saying Jenna needed help with the wine.

Once Alaric had gone, Damon immediately went to where he'd hidden the dagger he was planning to kill Elijah with. Thea coming had thrown a kink in his plans, but thankfully, he had a plan for her too.

Damon explained to Andie that he needed the element of surprise, so she would ask the men to take their after dinner drinks in the living room, while Andie would do coffee in the kitchen with the girls.

"That's a little too sexist for me," said Andie, shaking her head. "And I don't understand how that will help with Thea?"

"This," said Damon, holding up a small vial. "Put it in her coffee."

Andie's eyes widened. "What is it?"

"Just a sedative," said Damon. "Mixed with a special cocktail of herbs. It'll mute her power. Temporarily. Kinda like vervain to a vampire."

o – o – o

"Good evening," said Elijah, when Damon opened the door to his home.

"Hey Damon," said Thea, trying for a smile.

"Thank you for coming," said Damon. "Please, come in."

"Just one moment," said Elijah, looking at Damon. "Can I just say that if you have less than honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider."

"No, nothing dishonorable," said Damon. "Just getting acquainted with the new arrivals in town."

"Good," said Elijah, walking in.

Thea followed him into the house.

"Although Elena and I have this deal, if you so much as make a move to cross me, or my lovely dinner companion," Elijah looked back at Thea, "I'll kill you and your little gang... Are we clear?"

Thea smiled tightly. "I'm sure Damon isn't that stupid."

"We're clear," said Damon, narrowing his eyes at Thea. "Can I offer you a drink?"

Thea nodded and followed the two men into the dining room.

"Thea," said Jenna, warmly. "Glad you could make it."

"Me too," said Thea, looking around. "Hey Alaric, Andie."

Thea was only slightly surprised to see Alaric and Andie there, but there was a blonde-haired man present as well.

"This is John," said Jenna. "John Gilbert."

Thea shook hands with him. So this was the man who was Elena's biological father.

"Nice to meet you," said Thea.

"You as well," John replied. "I didn't realize Elijah was going to bring a date."

Thea frowned, wondering how much John knew. Was he part of the Mystic Falls gang or not?

"Maybe you would have known if you'd been invited," huffed Jenna.

"Please sit down," said Andie, cutting in. "Dinner's almost on the table."

Andie motioned to the seat next to hers.

"Thanks," said Thea as Andie poured her some wine.

o – o – o

Thea just sat there, eating and listening as they all talked about Mystic Falls' history, Elijah's book, etc. She chimed in a few times, but even though the tension was sky-high and Damon kept trying to subtly pump Elijah for information, nothing really interesting happened.

Once they'd finished, Andie announced the gentlemen would take their drinks in the study. Elijah politely thanked her and nodded to Thea, saying it was okay. It was clear he wanted to talk to Damon alone.

Thea helped clear the table, wanting something to do and she went into the kitchen after Jenna.

"Thanks for inviting me," said Thea, as they piled the plates in the sink.

"Of course," said Jenna, turning on the coffee maker. "So, how are you liking Mystic Falls?"

"It's nice," answered Thea.

They chatted while the coffee brewed and Andie soon joined them.

"Thea, do you have any feminine products?" asked Andie, pleadingly. "I don't..."

"Sure," smiled Thea. "In my purse. Just a sec."

She quickly went to her purse in the dining room, where it was still slung over her chair and grabbed a tampon. When she came back into the kitchen, Jenna was pouring coffee.

"Thanks," smiled Andie as she took the tampon. "Here's your coffee. Cream or sugar?"

"Black is fine," answered Thea.

At that moment, Alaric rushed into the kitchen.

"Andie, Damon wants you," he said. "Jenna, can you get dessert together?"

Jenna looked annoyed at his request, but nodded. Thea carried the dessert plates out to the dining room and began handing them out as Jenna poured the coffee.

Jenna insisted Thea sit down, as she was a guest, and that she would handle dessert in the kitchen.

Soon, they were all settled back down at the table for dessert, minus Jenna. With Jenna out of earshot, Damon got a little less subtle.

"Elijah, did John tell you that he's Elena's uncle/father?" asked Damon.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that," answered Elijah.

"Of course, she hates him, so there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list," Damon continued.

"What I'd like to know," said John. "Is how you intend on killing Klaus."

Thea scoffed, drinking her coffee. "Why does it matter? Thinking of taking him on yourselves?"

"I just think we'd all feel better if we knew what the plan was," said Damon.

"Gentleman, there's a few things that we should probably get clear right now," said Elijah. "I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena. I allow Elena to remain in her house, living her life with her friends as she does, as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away and you'll never see her again."

Thea frowned, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden. She blinked as her vision started to fade.

Elijah's worried face was the last thing she saw as her eyes involuntarily closed. But the last thing she heard was Elijah's pained cry ring out, before everything faded to black.

o – o – o

When she awoke, she was being cradled against a strong chest. Looking beyond that chest, she saw it was Elijah who was carrying her and they were going up the steps to her father's apartment.

"You're awake," he said, looking down at her.

She nodded stiffly, as she still felt out of it.

"What happened?" she asked in a whisper.

She noticed there was a hole in his chest, with a bloody spatter there.

"They drugged you," said Elijah, jaw clenched. "And staked me."

"What?" gasped Thea. "Why would they do that?"

"It's unclear," said Elijah. "Perhaps they thought to determine the whereabouts of the moonstone from you. Another bargaining chip."

"You can let me down," said Thea, as they arrived at her father's front door.

Though she would love to stay in his arms longer.

He stiffened and gently set her down.

"Thank you," said Thea, looking into his warm brown eyes. "For bringing me home."

Elijah nodded. "Of course. I do require your assistance, however."

Thea frowned as Elijah opened the door to the apartment and walked in.

They quickly explained what had happened to a surprised Jonas and Luka.

"I need you to find Elena," said Elijah. "Now."

"Why?" asked Thea. "What are you going to do?"

"What I promised to do earlier," said Elijah, looking her in the eye. "Take her away. Then I'll deal with the Salvatores."

"She's just a kid, Elijah," said Thea, frowning. "I'm sure she didn't have anything to do with this. And they didn't harm either of us permanently."

Jonas just began getting his supplies together for the locator spell.

"I already let this go too far," said Elijah, harshly. "I will not allow her little friends to endanger my revenge. Nor attack us without retribution."

"But..." Thea began.

Elijah growled. "This is not up for discussion." He turned from her. "Jonas. The spell."

Thea clenched her jaw, angry at being dismissed. His earlier tenderness towards her, evaporating. Fucking arrogant Originals.

"I guess I was wrong before," said Thea, shaking her head. "You are just like Klaus."

Thea immediately felt guilty at the hurt look in Elijah's eyes, but she turned and went to the kitchen, wanting some healing herbs. She still didn't feel quite right.

She waited until Elijah had left to return to the living room. When she did, Luka and Jonas were talking about what had happened between Luka and Bonnie.

"What did she do to you?" demanded Jonas, angrily.

"I... I don't know," stammered Luka, clearly a little embarrassed. "I was playing pool one minute, then waking up in a bathroom stall the next. I was out for a few hours."

"She had no right," snarled Jonas. "Attacking a fellow witch."

"Can you blame her, Dad?" snapped Thea, still angry about Elijah. "We're working with Elijah, who won't tell them why he wants to kill Klaus or how he's going to kill Klaus."

"You think they found a way to get information out of him?" asked Jonas, though it was clear that's what he was thinking too.

Thea shrugged. "It's what I would do. Maybe they weren't after the moonstone at all. Maybe they staked Elijah to try and trap him or something. They must know he wants to sacrifice to happen."

Jonas was silent for a moment and then grabbed his coat.

"Where are you going?" asked Thea, looking worried.

Luka looked a little scared. "No, Dad."

"We'll continue our discussion," said Jonas, putting on his coat. "After I've dealt with Bonnie Bennett."

"What are you going to do?" asked Thea.

"A witch who uses her powers against her own?" stated Jonas. "I think an old-school punishment is in order."

Thea's eyes widened. "You can't kill her!"

Jonas frowned. "Not that old-school. Stripping away her powers until Greta is returned should suffice. She's brand-new. It shouldn't be too difficult."

Thea frowned, but didn't argue. He wasn't wrong. Using magic to attack a fellow witch was a serious offense, in any coven. If Bonnie had belonged to their coven back in Louisiana, her punishment may have been much more severe.

o – o – o

As Elijah approached the lake house where Elena and Stefan were staying, he tried to block out thoughts of Thea. He hadn't meant to be so harsh, but he was furious.

Not only had the Salvatores had the audacity to attack him, but they had drugged Thea and tied her up. He could only imagine the litany of torments they had been preparing for her... And his blood boiled once again.

He breathed in deep, focusing on the task at hand. Obtain the doppelganger, kill her lover, then go back to Mystic Falls and finish off the rest of that tedious gang.

Elijah heard the whispers between Elena and Stefan as he stooped to pick up a handful of rocks, intending to 'open' the door with them.

He threw the rocks at the door and it splintered before being blasted away, leaving the doorway wide open.

"You know, I might not be able to enter this house," said Elijah. "But I'm a very patient man. I'll wait you out."

He watched as Elena appeared and approached the doorway slowly.

He tried to keep calm as Elena offered apologizes on behalf of her friends. And then threatened to turn herself into a vampire, unless he agreed to not harm any of her friends or family.

Elijah almost believed it. He could see the determination in her eyes, but to stab oneself? That seemed truly unbelievable.

"I'm sorry, Elena," said Elijah. "I'm going to have to call your bluff."

Then he watched with amazed eyes as she stabbed herself in the gut.

"No!" he cried as she collapsed to the ground. "Yes, yes, you can have your deal! Let me heal you."

He looked all around, trying to find a way to get her out of the house.

"Give me your word," demanded Elena through her cries of pain.

"You have my word," said Elijah, rushing forward.

Elena got up, collapsing into him and he felt the prick to his heart, the telltale sign that he had been stabbed once again.

o – o – o

When Jonas returned, all he would say that it was done. Bonnie had been stripped of her magic and now they were the only witches in town.

Thea sighed, wondering where Elijah was, where he'd taken Elena. No place too far, as the doppelganger rumors had placed Elena in Mystic Falls.

Thea knew the ritual to break Klaus' curse inside and out, so she knew it had to take place in the birthplace of the doppelganger, which meant Mystic Falls.

Her face colored when she thought of her earlier confrontation with Elijah. He'd been so kind to her, considerate of her wishes, trusting her with the truth about his family. And then he'd just dismissed her opinion without a second thought. It hurt more than she'd like to admit.

Thea rolled over in her bed, trying to get some sleep, trying to forget her confusing feelings for Elijah.

 **A/N: Thought it seemed realistic that Damon would have a plan to handle Thea as well.**

 **Also, when I was watching this scene, I thought it was odd that Elijah didn't even look for the dagger before going after Elena at the lake house. Given it could be used against him again, I plugged this plot hole by saying he thought he'd been staked, not daggered (Alaric stabbed him in the back), which is why Elena was able to dagger him again (he wasn't looking for it).**


	8. The House Guest

"Morning," smiled Luka as Thea walked into the kitchen. "How's it going?"

"Good," Thea responded. "Whatever Damon and his flunkies did to me wore off. Did a cleansing spell to clear my head."

"Have you heard from Elijah?" asked Jonas, coming into the kitchen as well.

Thea shook her head. "No. Did you expect to? He's probably busy with Elena somewhere. Or he's torturing the Salvatores to death."

Jonas' jaw clenched. "They deserve it. I can't believe they drugged you."

Thea had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at his sudden fatherly concern.

"Well, it's almost over," offered Luka. "Klaus will be here soon to break the curse."

"We still have no idea where the witch burial ground is," grumbled Jonas.

"I'm still looking for other solutions," said Thea.

"Any luck in Georgetown yesterday?" asked Luka.

Thea shook her head. "Found a really neat spell to share memories and a wicked teleportation spell, but nothing useful for our situation."

"I've been trying to tell you, Thea," said Jonas. "Vampires were created to be indestructible and Originals are at the top of that food chain. When they burned that white oak tree to the ground- that was game over."

Thea frowned. "The ancient witch who created the daggers didn't give up. Neither will I."

"Daggers?" asked Luka.

"Mystical objects that are rumored to be able to subdue an Original," answered Jonas.

"They're not rumors," argued Thea. "They're real. But they don't work on Klaus because of his werewolf biology. I already pitched that idea to Elijah. Thought maybe if I could find one..."

She sighed. "It doesn't matter. I'll keep looking. Couldn't hurt."

o – o – o

They didn't hear from Elijah all day. Thea spent most of that time buried in grimoires, experimenting with spells. Jonas was at the library, pouring over old history books and local maps, trying to figure out where the witch burial site was.

They got a text from Luka that the Salvatores had news of Elijah and wanted to meet. Fearful something had happened to him, Thea and Luka managed to convince Jonas that they should meet with them.

That's how they ended up at the Grill after Luka's classes let out. When they entered, Thea was glad it was Stefan, not Damon, who was there to see them. And he'd brought Bonnie.

"Thank you for coming," said Stefan, standing up at the Martins came in.

"I didn't want to," responded Jonas. "But my children made a case to hear you out."

"You'll understand if we don't want anything to drink," said Thea, in a heated tone.

"I'm sorry about that," said Stefan, who truly did look apologetic. "Damon did that without my knowledge."

Thea narrowed her eyes, but sat down. If they had done something to Elijah, she wanted to hear it.

Everyone else followed suit and soon they were all seated.

"Bonnie said you have information about Elijah," said Luka.

"Elijah's dead," said Stefan. "I'm sorry."

Thea scoffed. "You can't kill an Original."

"Well, we did," said Stefan.

Thea frowned. Had they somehow found a dagger? How the hell had they gotten a dagger?

Jonas stood up, clearly not wanting to hear any more.

"Hear me out," said Stefan. "We want to help you. Please."

"We know that Klaus has your daughter," said Bonnie, looking at Jonas. "I'm sorry about the way that we had to get that information, but it's good that we know."

She looked apologetically at Luka. "We can all work together to get her back."

"You've got to be kidding me," said Thea, shaking her head. "A group of baby vampires and a witch who can't do magic? You don't stand a chance against Klaus."

"You had a plan to kill Klaus," said Stefan. "Let us help you carry it out. You can trust us. I give you my word. We all do."

"Forgive me if your word doesn't mean much," said Thea, angrily. "Where is Elijah?"

"He's gone," said Stefan. "He's not coming back."

Thea opened her mouth to retort, but Jonas put a hand on her arm.

"Do you know where the witch burial ground is?" he asked.

"We can find it," said Stefan. "We have access to information the Historical Society doesn't... Why?"

"Vampires are supernatural creatures," said Jonas. "A witch channeling enough power can kill a supernatural creature- by damaging it with magic."

"You're telling me that if we can find that spot, you can kill Klaus with it?" asked Bonnie.

"Yes, but only after the curse has been broken," answered Jonas. "Only when he'll be very weak... Weak for him, I mean."

"We'll see what we can do," said Stefan, nodding.

o – o – o

They were all silent on the ride back to Jonas' apartment. It wasn't until they entered to apartment building that Luka spoke up.

"So..." he asked. "Are we going to work with them or not?"

"Absolutely not," said Jonas. "I just wanted to know if they'd found the burial ground. Obviously they haven't."

"But what if they can find it?" asked Luka as they walked down the hallway

"They won't. We tried, Luka. For weeks," said Jonas.

"We don't have a back-up plan though," said Luka.

"I'm working on it," said Thea. "I just wish we knew for sure if they had found the burial ground."

"Why does that matter?" asked Luka.

"Because, if they knew, we might wait to find Elijah until after they tell us," answered Thea.

"They don't know where it is," said Jonas, opening the apartment door and walking through. "We need to be concentrating on finding Elijah."

Thea and Luka walked into the apartment with him.

"How are we going to do that?" asked Luka. "Locator spell?"

Jonas shook his head. "Astral projection will be safer. Wherever Elijah is, I doubt he's unguarded."

Thea nodded. "I'll gather the supplies."

o – o – o

"Are you sure about this?" asked Thea a few hours later.

Jonas nodded. "Of course. Are you sure?"

"Seriously, Dad," said Thea, rolling her eyes. "I know how to do an astral projection spell. I did about a million of them after Greta stopped returning my phone calls. Of course, I could never find her... ended up in some of the strangest places."

"Well, since Bonnie doesn't have her magic, they can't cloak him," said Jonas. "We should be able to find him."

Thea nodded. "I'll stay anchored here."

"You can channel me if you need to," said Luka.

"Thanks, Luka," said Thea, grabbing Luka's talisman. "Oh, we should do a quick protection spell, too."

"Good thinking," nodded Jonas.

"Well, when you accidently end up in the middle of the ocean, you learn pretty quickly that whatever happens to you in the astral plane, happens to you here," said Thea.

Jonas performed a quick protection spell on himself and then they sat down at the small table in the living room. Luka off to the side, while Thea and Jonas faced each other.

"Ready?" asked Jonas.

Thea nodded. "Ready."

They clasped hands and Thea took a deep breath. Astral projection could be a tricky spell and it required a fair amount of power. Worse was the concentration though. It had to be absolute.

She called forth her magic and started chanting. She felt her magic flow from her fingertips into her father, pushing his spirit onto the astral plane.

"You're there," said Thea. "Find him."

Jonas was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again.

"I'm in the Salvatore House," said Jonas. "Elijah's body must be here."

"What do you see?" asked Thea.

"Elena and Damon," answered Jonas. "They're reading."

"Good," said Thea. "Do you sense Elijah?"

"He's close," said Jonas. "In the basement, I think."

Thea nodded and smiled encouraging over at Luka. About a minute later, Jonas announced he'd found Elijah.

"He's in a cell of some kind," said Jonas. "He's daggered."

"I knew it," growled Thea. "How did they get a dagger?"

"It doesn't matter. I just need to remove it."

"Do it," said Thea, joyful at the prospect of Elijah being alive.

She'd been surprised how upset she was when Stefan had told them Elijah was dead. She wanted a chance to tell him off for dismissing her the day before. And maybe a second chance at that maybe-date he'd promised. Ugh, she really needed to focus.

Jonas sucked in a gasp of air.

"What's wrong?" asked Thea.

"It's Katherine," Jonas said. "She's fighting me."

"She's a vampire, Dad." She sighed. "This is too dangerous, I'm pulling you out."

"No!" shouted Jonas. "We may not get this chance again... I see a chair. I'm going to stake her."

Thea could hardly breathe. "Are you sure? Elijah left her alive for a reason..."

Jonas just clenched his jaw and didn't reply.

"What's going on?" she asked after a few seconds had passed.

"Almost there," groaned Jonas, then he breathed in deep. "I staked her in the stomach. She's down."

"Good," said Thea. "Just undagger Elijah and I'll pull you out."

"Damnit, Damon's here."

"What?" exclaimed Thea. "What's happening? What's he doing?"

Before Jonas could reply, he was engulfed in flames. He cried out in pain as every part of his body seemed to be on fire.

Thea pulled him out of the astral plane immediately, but the damage was done. Thankfully, Luka grabbed a blanket in the meantime and smothered Jonas with it.

Thea bent to the ground and started chanting the first healing spell that came to mind, but a few more seconds passed and Jonas died.

"What do we do, what do we do?" gasped Luka, hands on his head, distraught.

Thea just stood and grabbed one of the grimoires off the shelf. A witch who had specialized in healing.

"He'll be okay, right?" asked Luka. "The protection spell..."

"A quick and dirty protection spell isn't going to reverse the tissue damage," said Thea as she flipped through pages. "It's made for broken necks or poison, not for third-degree burns."

"Then what do we do?" Luka practically shouted.

"The protection spell will bring him back," said Thea. "But we have to stabilize him in the meantime." She looked up at Luka. "Call 911. Now."

Luka just nodded and picked up his phone, clearly happy to be doing something.

Thea found the spell and began chanting. The words flew through her mind as she pushed her magic into her father's body, hoping it would be enough to save him.

When the spell was complete, she looked down and studied Jonas' face. Angry that he was so stubborn, angry at herself that she hadn't pulled him out at the first sign of trouble. Their relationship had never been good, but he was her father, she couldn't lose him.

Luka came back and sat down beside her.

"Paramedics are on their way."

Thea nodded. "I used a sleeping beauty spell. It'll preserve him, once the protection spell brings him back."

"And then what?" asked Luka.

"Then we hope modern medicine can do its job," said Thea. "Or we get a healthy dose of vampire blood."

The paramedics arrived a few minutes later, after the protection spell brought him back. They carefully carried her father down the stairs, amazed they were able to find a pulse.

Thea and Jonas went down the stairs with them and they were standing next to the ambulance when Thea felt a presence behind them.

She turned around and saw it was Stefan, lurking in the shadows just behind the apartment building.

"Go with Dad," Thea told Luka. "I'll be along."

She walked towards Stefan with her hand outstretched, her fury driving her to inflict the maximum amount of pain she could.

"You're lucky he's alive," she growled in anger.

"You... tried..." Stefan gasped, holding his head. "Elijah..."

"That's right," she answered, contemptuously. "You really think you and your sad little gang can take on Klaus? No... This ends now."

She flicked her wrist and Stefan's neck snapped.

o – o – o

Thea fiddled with the chain of Luka's talismans as she drove like a mad woman towards her destination. She may be crazy, but this was the only way. The sleeping beauty spell would hold for a good, long while.

If she succeeded, she had plenty of time to get the blood she'd collected from Stefan to Jonas at the hospital. If she didn't succeed, well it wouldn't really matter anyway. They had made a move against the Salvatores and if she failed, no doubt they would kill her, Luka and her father.

No, she had to do this now. While Stefan was still across town with a snapped neck. She tried to calm her breathing as she approached the Boarding House.

She parked by the side of the road, so they wouldn't see her approach. She carefully got out, wishing she'd taken more time to learn about cloaking spells in her time at university.

Still, she was channeling Luka, so even if she was attacked by both Katherine and Damon at once, she should be able to handle both.

She crept along the side of the house, trying not to make a sound. She saw light through one of the windows and saw Katherine and Damon talking in the living room. It looked like they were having an argument.

She waited until Damon left the room and went upstairs. She held onto Luka's talisman and, with the help of his magic, managed to snap Katherine's neck, despite the distance and the age of the vampire. Katherine slumped against the couch cushions where she had been drinking a blood bag.

Thea sighed and opened the window, crawling in as quietly as she could. She grabbed the blood bag from Katherine's hands and made her way downstairs. She had just arrived at the room where Elijah's body was when Damon appeared out of nowhere.

His fangs were in her neck before she could even think. She tried to summon up her magic, but the pain in her neck was too intense to fight him off.

She tried to stop him as he bit his own wrist and force fed her his blood.

"Sorry, Thea. I need you alive-ish," said Damon. "You're the only one who knows where the moonstone is."

Then he snapped her neck.

o – o – o

"Come on, Stefan, pick up," groaned Damon. "Where are you?"

Damon growled and took a sip of his drink, looking over at Katherine's slumped body on the couch. He had put Thea's body on the other couch.

A few minutes later, his phone rang. It was Stefan.

"Where the hell have you been?" demanded Damon. "We've got witches attacking from all sides, Stefan."

"Thea snapped my neck," said Stefan. "Where is she?"

"Don't worry," smirked Damon. "I took a nice-sized bite out of her before I turned her."

"You turned her?" gasped Stefan. "Why?"

"She has the moonstone, Brother. We need it."

"Is she there now?"

"Resting comfortably. Once she wakes up in a few hours, I'll offer her a blood bag in exchange for the moonstone."

"And if she refuses?" asked Stefan.

Damon smirked again. "I'm confident in my powers of persuasion."

o – o – o

Thea awoke with a start. Looking around she saw she was in the Boarding House living room. She winced and put her hand up to her neck, feeling the wounds starting to slowly close.

She blinked, trying to put the pieces of what had happened together. She looked around and saw her bag lying on the floor next to her. Luka's talisman still hung around her neck.

She grabbed her bag and listened for any sounds. The door to her right opened and Damon stood there.

"How are you awake so soon?" he asked, clearly surprised.

Thea wasted no time in calling forth her magic to give him an aneurysm.

"Protection spell," she explained. "Never enter enemy territory without one."

Then she flicked her wrist and he collapsed to the ground, neck broken.

She raced downstairs and found the room with Elijah's body. She quickly pried the dagger out of Elijah's chest, storing the dagger inside her bag. She grasped Luka's talisman and did a quick teleportation spell on Elijah's body, sending him as far away from the Boarding House as she could. She couldn't carry him, but she could at least ensure he woke up alone.

Then she went upstairs as quickly as she'd come and breathed a sigh of relief when she got to her car and drove away.

When she arrived at the busy hospital waiting room, she slumped into a chair and leaned back against the wall. The use of so much magic in a short time was draining. She really needed to get some healing herbs and some sleep.

But first, her father. She got up after a few minutes and made her way to Jonas' room, clutching the vial of Stefan's blood in her hands, trying not to think what the Salvatores would do when they found out she'd undaggered Elijah.

 **A/N: As you can probably tell, we're going to be veering somewhat away from canon. Not too drastically, but Thea's presence does have an impact and I want to show that.**

 **Plus, Elijah will be back! Considering her character, I thought it made more sense that Thea went after Elijah, rather than revenge like Jonas did in the show.**

 **Let me know what you think so far!**


	9. Know Thy Enemy

Thea woke to someone tapping her on the shoulder. She immediately called forth her magic, but stopped when she realized it was Luka hovering over her.

"Hey," she said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Is it my turn?"

After Thea had fed Jonas the blood she'd collected from Stefan, she and Luka had decided to take turns sleeping in shifts, just in case the Salvatores came to call in Jonas' hospital room.

Jonas was markedly better after the vampire blood, the third degree burns were nearly gone, but he was still weak and moving him from the hospital didn't seem like a good idea just yet.

"Elijah's here," Luka answered in a quiet voice.

Thea blinked again and saw Elijah standing at the foot of Jonas' hospital bed. She glanced over at her father and was relieved to see he was still fast asleep.

Thea tiptoed past Jonas' bed and she and Elijah went out into the hallway, so as not to wake Jonas. She frowned when she saw Elijah's clothes were torn, dirty and burned, as if he'd come directly from where he'd woken up.

"How are you feeling?" asked Thea, dragging her eyes away from the smooth skin his torn clothes revealed.

"None the worse for wear," said Elijah, dismissively. "I had my fill of blood bags here at the hospital."

He looked her up and down as if checking her for injuries.

"How are you?" he asked. "I went to your apartment. One of your neighbors informed me an ambulance came earlier tonight?"

Thea nodded and relayed the entire story of the night. How the Salvatores had tried to form an alliance with the Martins, but that Jonas and Thea had decided to try and find Elijah instead. Jonas' burning, Damon's attack, etc.

Elijah looked angrier and angrier as the story went on. "He tried to turn you?"

Thea nodded. "Said he couldn't kill me because I was the only one who knew where the moonstone was."

"I am not generally a violent man, but I do think I will very much enjoy killing Damon Salvatore."

Thea sighed. "Not that I wouldn't love to drive a stake through Damon's heart, but I think he knows where the witch burial site is."

"Do go on."

Thea shrugged. "Just a feeling. Stefan mentioned something about having access to archives the Historical Society doesn't have. I think one of the Salvatores knows. Maybe Katherine Pierce."

Elijah looked unhappy. "Then I suppose only two things occupy my to-do list tonight."

"Two?" asked Thea, raising an eyebrow. "I hope one of them is getting a change of clothes."

Elijah smiled slightly at her teasing. "Three then. Acquire the dagger and a new suit. Find Elena."

Thea frowned. "You're not still thinking of taking her away somewhere?"

"I must do what is needed to ensure the ritual goes forward as scheduled."

"You being awake should ensure that," argued Thea. "She's not leaving town, she's not going to turn herself. Taking her is just going to upset her band of merry men and then we'll be focused on fighting them off, rather than making sure we're prepared for when Klaus comes."

Elijah was practically scowling. "I warned them..."

"Yeah and they stabbed you in the back anyway," said Thea. "They will do whatever it takes to keep Elena safe. Crazy, stupid, reckless things. We don't want to fight them and Klaus."

Elijah was silent, clearly thinking.

"I know you want revenge," said Thea, speaking softly. "I don't blame you. Damon tried to kill me, sort of. I'm mad too, but we have to be smart about this. I haven't found anything that will trap Klaus permanently or kill him before the ritual. So, the ritual is going to happen. We should be focused on making sure Klaus doesn't survive after that."

She dug in her purse and took out the dagger. "I trust that you're more level-headed than your brother."

She placed the dagger in his hands and was relieved when he smiled at her.

"Thank you, Thea," he said, staring intensely into her eyes. "I will refrain from absconding with Elena... for now. I'll let you get some rest."

Thea smiled sadly. "I think I'm gonna let Luka get some shut-eye first." At Elijah's confused expression, she continued. "We're sleeping in shifts. I feel a little exposed. No invitation barrier in a hospital room."

Elijah nodded. "I will return. Once I'm more presentable, I'll watch over your father."

Thea tilted her head. "Don't you need to sleep too?"

"My sleep needs are minimal compared to yours. You must be tired," he said, almost tenderly. Then he straightened, as if he'd just heard the tone of voice. "We'll need a fully rested witch now that your father is out of commission."

Thea nodded. "It'll be a while before he's back to his full self. Probably not in time to take on Klaus though."

Elijah just nodded sadly and disappeared.

Thea went back into the room and told Luka that Elijah would be back to keep watch.

"He offered to watch over us while we sleep?" asked Luka, clearly surprised.

Thea shrugged. "He just wants to make sure we're at our best. Klaus will be here soon."

"Right," said Luka, nodding as if he didn't believe her.

"What?" asked Thea, settling herself in the chair beside her father's bed.

"Nothing," said Luka, shaking her head. "I suppose Elijah is better than Klaus. Greta always did have the worst taste in guys."

Thea frowned slightly. The closer they got to the full moon, the more nervous she was about potentially facing Klaus. Now that Jonas could no longer act as the head witch of Team Elijah, that responsibility naturally fell to her.

She hated the way things had ended with Klaus. They had been truly friends. And they'd had a lot of fun together. But it was hard to reconcile the sarcastic guy who loved painting and jazz, with the egomaniac who wanted global domination.

Thea sighed and stretched in the chair, willing sleep to come quickly.

o – o – o

Thea awoke to the smells of coffee. She blinked rapidly and saw the light coming through the windows of her father's hospital room.

She glanced over and saw Jonas was awake and Elijah was standing beside him, bleeding into a plastic cup.

"Good morning," said Thea. "Breakfast of champions?"

Jonas sighed. "Elijah thought it might help speed my healing."

Thea had to force herself not to roll her eyes, remembering her father's irrational fear of hospitals.

"As long as you still remember to take it easy," said Thea, standing up. "Those burns were no joke. Being attacked while on the astral plane..."

"I'll be fine," said Jonas, dismissively. "I've asked Elijah to compel my doctors for an early discharge."

"Dad!" exclaimed Thea.

"It's not safe," said Jonas. "Staying in the hospital. I won't risk you and Luka watching me all night. I'll be fine at home."

Thea cast a glance over Jonas' exposed skin and saw that there weren't really any burns left.

"I guess we can take care of you at home," said Thea, grumpily. "Thanks, Elijah." She looked around. "Where's Luka?"

"In the bathroom," answered Jonas, sipping the cup of Elijah's blood.

"I brought you breakfast as well," said Elijah, gesturing to a box of donuts and a cup of steaming coffee.

"Oh my god, I love you!" gasped Thea, taking a chocolate-glazed donut and the coffee.

"Your endearments are unnecessary," said Elijah, though he smiled slightly at her enthusiasm.

Thea just sipped the coffee slowly, inhaling its scent.

"I have a few errands to run," said Elijah. "I'll make sure to compel your physician and nurse before I leave." He turned to Thea. "I'll speak to you later. Dinner, perhaps?"

Thea smiled and nodded. "Since ours got ruined."

Elijah bid farewell to Jonas and left the room.

"You're having dinner with Elijah?" asked Jonas, downing the rest of the cup of blood.

"And?" challenged Thea.

"Is there something I should know about?"

"No. Maybe. I don't think so," said Thea, feeling confused. "Elijah's nice, but he's really reserved. I have no idea what he's thinking."

Jonas sighed. "Just be careful, Thea. Men like Elijah... they don't love lightly. He's old-school. My guess is he doesn't do anything half-speed."

Thea nodded and sipped her coffee, turning the topic to other things.

o – o – o

"Nice house," said Katherine, vampiric face showing as she circled Isobel's neck with her hand.

Isobel smirked. "Nicest foreclosure in town." Isobel laughed and wrapped her arms around Katherine. "Come here."

Katherine returned her smile and hugged Isobel back. Finally, someone in Mystic Falls who wasn't a fucking idiot, do-gooder. Katherine released Isobel and looked around the house.

"It's good to see you, Katherine," said Isobel, smiling.

"I hear you've been busy," returned Katherine.

"Yes, I have," said Isobel, clasping her hands together. "I have been busy making a deal with Klaus to save your life."

Katherine smiled. "Do tell."

"You hungry?" asked Isobel, swiping a bottle off a nearby table. "Here, a vintner I knew in Avignon."

Katherine swiped a finger across the neck of the bottle. "He's tasty." She followed Isobel over to a set of couches. "So what was with the surprise visit to the Gilbert House?"

Katherine liked Isobel, but she wasn't an idiot. She couldn't figure out why Isobel had bothered to show up at the Gilbert's, unless she was really looking out for Elena and not Katherine.

Isobel rolled her eyes. "John told me Ric was dating Auntie Vanilla... I got jealous."

That made sense. Katherine found Jenna to be the worst type of human- so unbelievably boring. Just like Elena.

"You've obviously got John wrapped around your finger if he invited you into the house," remarked Katherine.

She poured a glass and handed it to Isobel, before pouring herself some and sitting down.

"He thinks I'm helping him protect Elena, so he's been very useful in keeping me informed on everything that's been going on."

"So tell me what you know," said Katherine.

"You were right. I couldn't get anywhere near Klaus, but I found my way to someone in his trusted circle." Isobel leaned forward. "One of his witches."

Katherine scoffed. "Klaus and his witches."

"He said that Klaus is willing to grant you your freedom if we deliver the moonstone and the doppelganger."

Katherine frowned. "That's not going to be easy. Rumor has it, a witch has the moonstone."

"What witch?" asked Isobel.

"One of Elijah's," said Katherine, taking a sip.

"I thought Elijah was daggered," said Isobel, looking a little frightened.

"If only," said Katherine, rolling her eyes. "That same witch undaggered him last night. He's probably roaming the streets of Mystic Falls as we speak."

"Who is this witch?"

"Thea Martin. Damon put her dad in the hospital last night, but all he managed to do was piss her off. She stormed the Salvatores' house, broke my neck and undaggered Elijah."

"What does Elijah want?" asked Isobel.

"He says he wants Klaus dead."

"You don't believe him?"

Katherine shrugged. "They're brothers. Why would he want Klaus dead?"

Isobel looked nervous. "I heard they had a falling out."

"Being mad at someone you used to love doesn't mean you want them dead," said Katherine, shaking her head. "I should know."

Isobel just nodded. "Let's just find the moonstone and deliver the doppelganger."

Katherine smirked.

"You have an idea then?" asked Isobel.

"Remember I told you how pissed this witch got when Damon hurt her dad?"

o – o – o

"Come on!" grumbled Thea, splaying her hand against the clear glass of the vending machine. "That's a perfectly fine dollar!"

She knocked her head against the glass and closed her eyes, willing her frustration under control. It wasn't the machine's fault it was broken and not accepting her dollar. She briefly considering using magic to pluck the granola bar from its place, but managed to restrain herself. Magic shouldn't be used for stealing.

She sighed and decided to follow the signs to the cafeteria. Luka was in the hospital room with Jonas and it was three in the afternoon. If the Salvatores were planning some great killing spree for revenge, no doubt they would have done so last night, under the cover of darkness.

She made her way down to the basement, where the cafeteria was. It was completely empty, which Thea thought was odd, but not entirely surprising as it was a small hospital and in-between mealtimes.

She walked up to the counter and noticed no one was behind the grill. Weird.

She turned around and saw Katherine Pierce standing a few feet away from her. With her hands wrapped around Jonas' neck.

Before Thea could call forth her magic, another vampire appeared beside her. One she'd never seen before.

"Thea Martin?" asked the unknown. "Isobel Flemming. Nice to meet you."

"Wish I could say the same," said Thea, angrily.

Jonas' eyes were blurry. His neck was bleeding and it was clear Katherine had been feeding from him. That, combined with his accident, and he was in no shape to do magic.

Thea couldn't take on two vampires at once, not when she was still wiped from all the magic she'd done the day before. Especially not when one was as old as Katherine. She wondered how old Isobel was.

Thea didn't doubt that they had tinkered with the vending machine. And had ensured the cafeteria was deserted. This smelled like a trap.

"Where is the moonstone?" asked Isobel.

Thea didn't say anything.

Katherine just smiled evilly at her and sank her fangs into Jonas' neck again.

"Stop!" Thea shouted.

"Give us the moonstone and Katherine will release your father," said Isobel. "If you refuse, she'll kill him and your brother will be next."

At least Luka was still alive.

"Don't give it to them," said Jonas, even as Katherine's fangs sank in deeper.

Thea could only take a few seconds of watching Jonas die before her eyes.

"Wait!" Thea exclaimed.

"Thea, no," said Jonas, weakly. "Greta..."

"Be quiet," snarled Katherine. Then she looked up at Thea. "The moonstone?"

Thea hesitated a second longer, seeing the determined look on Jonas' face. Apparently that was one second too long because then Katherine did the unthinkable.

She flicked her wrist, snapping Jonas' neck before Thea could blink. She could only watch as he collapsed to the floor.

"What the fuck?" screamed Thea.

Katherine immediately fell to the ground, head burning from Thea's magic. She tried to extend the spell to Isobel, but she didn't have the strength. She really needed some healing herbs.

Isobel smiled menacingly. "Give us the moonstone or your brother will join him."

With trembling hands, Thea reached into her purse, pulling out the moonstone. She'd gotten it a few days ago from where she'd hidden it, as the full moon was fast approaching.

Isobel snatched the moonstone from Thea's hand.

Then they were both gone. Thea knelt to the floor, where Jonas' body lay, trying to contain her tears.

She pulled out her phone and dialed quickly.

"Elijah?" she said, trying to contain her sobs. "I need your help."

o – o – o

After Jonas awoke, he asked to be left alone, slamming the door in Luka and Thea's face.

"He still has 24 hours to complete the transition," said Elijah, as Luka and Thea walked back into the living room of Jonas' apartment. "If he so chooses."

Thea just nodded, feeling numb. She didn't know what to think. She was grateful that Jonas had vampire blood in his system when Katherine killed him, but she didn't know if Jonas himself was grateful.

Being a witch was such an integral part of Jonas' identity, Thea didn't know if he would complete the transition or not, perhaps preferring to just die.

For Luka's sake, Thea hoped he transitioned. Luka was still 17 and in high school. Jonas was the only parent he had.

"Do you think he will?" asked Luka, shaking Thea out of her thoughts.

"I don't know," said Thea, sadly. "Here." She grabbed a knife and cut her arm, letting the blood drip into the cup. "Maybe try to offer it to him in a little while?"

"Where are you going?" asked Luka.

Thea looked at Elijah.

"We're going to make sure Dad didn't die for nothing," said Thea.

o – o – o

Thea and Elijah drove to the Boarding House quickly. Thea watched the houses roll by, her thoughts going a mile a minute.

"There's no shame in not completing the transition," said Elijah. "Not everyone is well-suited to being a vampire."

Thea tilted her head, looking at him. "Did you get a choice? I'm not really clear on how the Originals were made. Beyond the rumors of course."

Elijah's face darkened. "We had the immortality spell cast upon us, my siblings and I, and then we were forced to drink blood to complete the transition."

"So, no choice, then?"

Elijah shook his head. "I used to ponder whether or not I would have, had the choice been presented to me."

"And?"

"I'm unsure. That is, unfortunately, the problem with hypotheticals."

Thea nodded. "I don't know what choice I would make. I never thought vampires were evil. But losing my magic... I don't how to be anything but a witch. I do hope Dad transitions though. For Luka's sake."

"He is just a boy," remarked Elijah. "Though I am sure you are quite capable of caring for him."

Thea chuckled nervously. "I'm not exactly the maternal type. With me as his guardian, he'd probably go all dark witch and start sacrificing goats and things."

Elijah raised an eyebrow. "You sound as though you're speaking from experience."

Thea laughed at that. "When I was about Luka's age, I started hanging out with this group of witches that used magic in not-so-nice ways. It was mostly stupid stuff- causing bad acne or messing with someone's concentration during a test, but one of the girls tried to get us to do this insanity hex. Basically, make someone go crazy until they killed themselves. The rest of us refused to do it and I stopped hanging out with them after that."

"I can imagine that being somewhat of a slippery slope," Elijah commented.

Thea nodded. "Magic is just like any other form of power. It's easy to abuse if you're not careful."

When he stopped the car outside the Boarding House, Thea turned to him.

"If we succeed, I need you to promise me something," said Thea.

Elijah frowned, as if he could tell what she was asking.

"I should be able to handle this," said Thea. "But if something goes wrong, you need to promise that you will put me down. And if you have to kill me, then that's what you have to do."

Elijah's eyes searched her face. "There are alternatives..."

"I know," she said, hastily. "I understand that. But I don't want to hurt people, except Klaus of course. So if it comes down to it, I need to know that you're willing to kill me."

Elijah was silent for a long moment, before he nodded slightly. "Alright."

Thea smiled. "Thank you, Elijah. It shouldn't come to that. I've just never done this before."

o – o – o

"So, let me get this straight," drawled Damon. "You want us to tell you where the witch burial site is. And in exchange..."

"I don't kill you," finished Elijah.

Damon cocked his head. "Too bad I don't know where it is."

Thea narrowed her eyes, pushing her magic out. He immediately grabbed his head as aneurysm after aneurysm erupted in his brain.

"I can do this all day," said Thea casually, glad Damon wasn't a particularly old vampire.

"If you prefer, I can drain you of your vervain and then compel you," offered Elijah.

Thea just cocked her head, not letting up for a second. Damon continued to groan, giving Thea a little sliver of satisfaction, considering everything the elder Salvatore had done.

"Or, maybe we should try Stefan?" mused Thea. "Wonder how long he can stand getting his brain fried?"

Inwardly, Thea wondered if they were going to have to drain him and compel him. Maybe Damon was telling the truth- he didn't know where the witch burial site was.

"Stop! Stop!" exclaimed Damon.

Thea paused her spell and let him catch his breath.

"Let's suppose, hypothetically, I could figure out where this place was," said Damon, breathing heavily. "What's the plan? Juice up the old man?"

Thea blinked back tears at the mention of her father. "No. Me."

"Bonnie..." started Damon.

"She's a 17-year-old witch who's only been practicing for a year," said Thea with a roll of her eyes. "She's not getting her powers back until I trust she's not going to work against us."

With Jonas' no longer being a witch, Thea was the only one who could restore Bonnie's powers now.

"Can you guarantee that Elena will live?" asked Damon.

"Yes," said Thea. "There are many ways to protect someone from death. With all this power, I'll find a way to make sure she doesn't die in the ritual."

Damon was silent for a long time before he spoke. "Let me get a map."

o – o – o

"Are you sure you are alright?" asked Elijah as he and Thea walked back to the car.

Finding the burial site had been relatively easy with Damon's map. The channeling ritual was fairly straightforward, if not incredibly painful.

But Thea could feel the power of the dead spirits flowing through her. She'd never felt so alive. So powerful. It was a little scary, actually.

"I'm fine," said Thea, smiling to hide her doubts. "Better than fine. I feel like I could take on a whole army."

"Let us hope it does not come to that," said Elijah, peering into her eyes as if he could sense her doubt, even though he didn't mention it.

Thea just tilted her head and cleared her throat. "I'm going to have to take a raincheck on dinner."

Were they ever going to have their maybe-date? She sighed, wondering if her father had completed his transition or not.

"Understandable," said Elijah.

"Maybe tomorrow?" asked Thea. "Depending on Dad and everything."

Elijah nodded. "Do call me if you need anything."

"Of course. It's just a waiting game now. Until Klaus shows up."

o – o – o

Thea was climbing the stairs to Jonas' apartment when she got a phone call. From an unlisted number.

Frowning, she paused on the stairs and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Thea."

Thea could hardly breathe. It was Greta.

"Oh my god, Greta! How are you? Where are you? Are you with Klaus?"

"I'm calling because I have a message," said Greta, not answering any of Thea's questions.

Thea frowned at Greta's formal, distant tone. "What message?"

"Leave Mystic Falls," said Greta. "He knows you're there."

Thea sighed, not needing to ask who 'he' was.

"We're not going anywhere Greta."

"Take Dad and Luka and get out," said Greta, this time with a slight pleading tone.

"Don't do this, Greta," said Thea, knowing she had her own pleading tone. "You're our family. You know we were never going to give up on you."

"I thought you would have gotten the message when I stopped returning your calls," said Greta, a little coldly.

Thea closed her eyes. The confirmation of what she'd suspected all along hurt more than she wanted to admit- Greta had willingly abandoned her family.

"Please, Sis," said Thea. "How can you help him do this? You're a witch! We're supposed to protect the balance."

"Klaus opened my eyes to new possibilities. Things I never thought magic could do. He shares everything with me."

Thea clenched her jaw. "He's using you."

"He cares about me!" exclaimed Greta, defensively. "And I care about him. He deserves this."

Thea sighed, guessing that Greta and Klaus' relationship had ventured into non-platonic territory.

"Breaking that curse is dangerous," said Thea. "We can't just let a hybrid loose..."

"If you're working to stop the ritual or harm Klaus in anyway, then you're an enemy," snarled Greta. "I can't be held responsible for what happens to any of you."

Thea sucked in a breath, never thinking she'd hear such nasty threats from her little sister.

"If that's the way it has to be," said Thea, sadly. "Then that's the way it has to be." She paused. "Tell your boss I said that too."

Then she hung up. She leaned against the rail of the stairs, blinking back tears. How had it come to this? Sister against sister? Brother against brother?

Thea took a deep breath and continued her trudge up the stairs, trying not to think about how all this would end.


	10. The Last Dance (Part One)

**A/N: Sorry about the delay on this. Real life, blah, blah. Anyway, the chapter ended up being longer than I thought, so The Last Dance will be split into two chapters. Here's the first-**

"Hey," smiled Luka. "How'd it go?"

Thea tried for a smile back. "It worked."

"The power of a hundred dead witches, huh?" asked Luka. "How does that feel?"

Thea blinked, trying to put into words how she was feeling.

"Amazing," she said. "Powerful... Scary."

Luka frowned. "What do you mean?"

Thea crossed the room and sat beside him on the couch. "All this power comes at a price. Using it all at once could kill me. Or I could lose control, kill someone else."

At Luka's frightened look, she sought to reassure him. "It won't come to that. I've channeled power before. Not this much, but I'm okay. I can handle it."

"How do you know you won't kill yourself?"

Thea shrugged. "I'll be careful."

Luka frowned. "You're not thinking about going after Klaus before the ritual?"

"I don't know, Luka." She sighed. "If I have the chance to take him out, how can I not?"

"Thea!"

"He wants to take over the world, Luka! You don't understand. You weren't there."

Thea's thoughts drifted back to the conversation she'd overheard between Klaus and one of his vampire minions.

 _January 2009, Austin_

" _Are you kidding me?" asked Thea, jaw dropping as her eyes looked at the pieces of paper he was dangling in front of her._

" _I'm not one much for joking," Klaus commented, his mouth upturned in a teasing smile._

 _Thea smiled at him. "Thank you."_

 _She enveloped him in a hug, as uncomfortable as he was with it, he didn't push her away._

" _You're welcome," he said, handing her the tickets and the backstage passes. "Though I do not share your affection for country music."_

 _Thea just shook her head. "You haven't lived in Texas long enough. Brad Paisley is a god!"_

 _Klaus frowned. "Is Jeff aware of your obsession with him?"_

 _Thea returned the frown. "Jeff hates country music more than you do."_

 _Jeff was Thea's boyfriend. A sweet, handsome grad student who'd moved to Austin a few month ago to complete his doctorate. He was originally from New York and didn't understand Thea's love of country music._

" _So I suppose I'll need to accompany you, then," Klaus said with a smile._

 _Thea smiled back. "Sure, but no cracks about my Brad. And no supernatural antics."_

 _Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Even if I wish for a taste of a god?"_

 _Thea narrowed her eyes, even though she knew Klaus was joking._

" _No snacking on the talent," she warned. "But thank you. This is amazing."_

 _Klaus shrugged. "It was nothing. I appreciate everything you've done for the past few months."_

" _I haven't done anything. We're no closer to breaking your curse."_

" _You've provided some valuable insights," said Klaus. "Things previous witches have overlooked."_

 _Thea raised an eyebrow. "Streamlining the curse breaking ritual seems not that important. Especially as three people still have to die in order for it to happen."_

 _Klaus sighed. "As I've said before, it is regrettable that must happen, but I was not the one who designed the curse in the first place. I have no say in the ritual to undo it."_

" _And yet you're willing to let three people die in order to unbind yourself."_

" _I won't object if you find a way to spare them," offered Klaus._

 _Thea sighed, not wanting to have this discussion again. She knew he was a vampire and that he didn't place the same value on human life as she did._

 _And yet, there were times, like now, where she could see the guilt in his eyes. The slight horror at what he was and what he had done._

 _But Klaus was cursed. She saw the pain in his eyes every time he talked about his bound werewolf side. This horrible longing that hadn't abated in however long he'd been alive, which was a very, very long time (though he refused to tell her just how long)._

" _Saving the doppelganger shouldn't be too difficult," said Thea. "She's human. The vampire and werewolf could be tricky." She looked at him. "Just get a really evil, nasty vampire and werewolf."_

" _Would that please you?" asked Klaus._

 _Thea shrugged. "I get that you want to be unbound. That you want to be whole. But don't destroy innocence to do it. There are plenty of sadistic vampires out there who rape and kill. Just like there are wolves who don't bother to lock themselves up or go to the middle of nowhere during the full moon."_

" _Convinced I'm not one of those sadistic vampires, love?" asked Klaus._

" _I know you're not," said Thea, seriously. "I see the good in you, even if you can't."_

 _A smile tugged at Klaus' lips._

" _What?" asked Thea._

" _You remind me of someone," said Klaus. "Someone I knew long ago. He too, believed there was good in me. That I could be redeemed."_

" _What happened to him?"_

" _I'm not sure," said Klaus, his voice full of pain he tried to hide. "We... lost touch over the years."_

 _Thea sensed there was more to the story, but didn't want to pry. Klaus was very secretive about his past._

" _Well maybe you'll find him again," said Thea, optimistically. "You could use more friends."_

" _More?" he inquired with a smirk. "What makes you think I have any?"_

 _Thea just smiled. "You got me two tickets and backstage passes to an artist you dislike and even offered to go with me. Nobody's boss is that nice."_

 _She got up from the chair in Klaus' office._

" _I have to go," she said. "Jeff's taking me out tonight."_

 _Klaus smiled. "Have fun. And happy birthday, Thea."_

 _Thea smiled back and exited the office. She was halfway back to the magical library when she realized she'd forgotten to tell Klaus about a thought she'd had about finding the moonstone._

 _She backtracked to Klaus' office, but Klaus' angry voice made her pause before knocking._

" _What do you mean, you lost her?" he shouted._

" _I'm sorry, sir," said another voice that Thea recognized as one of Klaus' vampires, Frank. "We thought she was in Toronto, but it was just a decoy."_

 _Klaus snarled. "I've waited 500 years for a lead on Katerina. Now I find she's slipped through your fingers."_

" _I'm sorry..."_

" _Enough!" growled Klaus. "And what of the moonstone?"_

" _Our sources say she no longer has it."_

 _Silence._

 _Thea considered backing away. She knew vaguely what had happened with Katerina and Klaus. That Katerina had escaped and stolen the moonstone the night before the ritual. Not that Thea blamed her. If she learned she was going to be sacrificed in some ritual, she would have hightailed it out of there too._

" _Listen to me very carefully, Frank," said Klaus in a dangerous voice. "I want Katerina found. I want the moonstone. Without it, I cannot break my curse and sire my hybrid line. I've been waiting centuries to build my hybrid army. To conquer the supernatural world. I grow impatien!"_

 _Thea was horrified. It had all been a lie. His supposed 'pain' at being bound, missing his werewolf side. He didn't care about being whole again, he just wanted to create a race of super-vampires to take over the world._

 _She backed away, trying to calm her pounding heart. Once she was clear of the hallway, she ran. Ran to the room with all the objects and grimoires she loved so much._

 _She grabbed her purse and glanced around one last time, knowing she'd never see the room again. Then she walked out to her car as calmly as she could, leaving Klaus' house for the last time._

Even now, two years later, Thea the feelings of anger and disappointment still stung. She'd felt humiliated. How could she have judged him so wrongly?

She had thought there had been real moments between them. Genuine friendship over mutual interests. She'd honestly thought there was a good guy buried beneath his domineering, vampire exterior. But he'd just been using her. Spinning some story about losing part of himself so she'd help him break the curse.

And now, she had the power to stop him. She couldn't let her personal feelings get in the way. Maybe he'd really considered her a friend and maybe he hadn't. But she couldn't just let him break his curse and build an army to conquer the world.

"I can't lose you too," said Luka, tearing Thea out of her morose thoughts.

"You're not going to lose me," said Thea.

"So you're not going after Klaus until he's weak?" questioned Luka. "Until after the ritual?"

Thea was silent. How could she put her own safety above others? Elena would survive the ritual, but she doubted there was a way to save the vampire and the werewolf. Would Klaus take her advice and use two ruthless killers in his ritual? Or would he not bother, now that she was no longer in his employ?

"Promise me you won't sacrifice yourself to kill him," said Luka. "Promise me, Thea."

Thea closed her eyes. "I can't make that promise."

Luka's face got angry. "You can't leave me all alone. That's not fair."

Thea's eyes snapped open. "What does that mean?" She frowned. "Has Dad completed his transition?"

Luka's face darkened. "He won't come out of his room."

Thea huffed and grabbed the glass of her blood out of the fridge.

"What are you doing?" asked Luka.

Thea didn't respond, just stomped towards Jonas' room, glass of blood in hand.

o – o – o

"You helped them?" Stefan asked Damon. "Why would you do that?"

"You weren't here, Stefan," said Damon, angrily. "Elijah threatened to drain me of vervain. At least this way, they guaranteed Elena would survive."

Stefan raised his eyebrows. "And you believe they'll keep their promise? After we daggered Elijah and tried to kill Jonas and Thea?"

Damon sighed. "I don't know."

"We're still alive," said Stefan, taking a sip of whiskey. "I suppose that has to count for something." He paused. "Do you think we should tell them that Klaus has Katherine?"

Damon shrugged. "Does it matter? Katherine doesn't know that Thea did the spell and is all juiced up with the power of a hundred dead witches."

"Katherine could guess," argued Stefan. "Klaus might go after Thea."

"Good. Maybe they'll kill each other and we won't have a problem anymore."

"Or maybe Klaus will kill Thea and we'll have no one to save Elena from dying in the ritual."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll call her."

o – o – o

Thea knocked lightly on her father's bedroom door.

No response.

Sighing, Thea called, "I'm coming in."

"Not now," came the response.

Thea turned the doorknob and walked into the room. Jonas was standing near the window, gazing out on the street below.

"Get that shit out of here," he said in a gravelly voice.

Thea glanced down at the glass of blood.

"Here me out," she said.

"No," said Jonas, turning around to face her. "I've made my decision."

"Dad..."

"I should have died! We live, we die. This is..." Jonas closed his eyes, clearly in a lot of pain. "I never wanted this. Vampires are a crime against nature."

Thea sighed. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I can't imagine what you're going through. But this isn't just about you."

Jonas frowned. "Luka is better off without me. A vampire father?" He laughed bitterly. "How can I go back to my practice? Be a physician who craves blood."

"You can learn to control it," argued Thea. "Many vampires do. And Luka needs you."

"He has you," said Jonas softly. "You'll take care of him."

Thea sighed, pinching her nose. "What about Greta?"

"Greta's lost to us."

"Once Klaus is dead..."

"She's lost!" shouted Jonas.

Thea didn't want to share the chilling phone call she'd had with Greta, where Greta had confirmed that she'd willingly abandoned the Martin family.

"You don't know that..." began Thea.

"She chose him!" Jonas screamed, getting in Thea's face. "She called me! Told me to forget about her and get the hell out of Mystic Falls."

Thea blinked, trying to keep the tears at bay. "So you're just going to give up on your other two kids? Greta chose to serve a vampire, so might as well just lay down and die!"

Thea turned away from her father and set the glass of blood on the table near the door.

"It's your decision," said Thea in a quiet voice. "Greta hurt this family by abandoning us. Please don't make the same mistake she did."

Then she left, leaving Jonas to his thoughts.

o – o – o

"Okay, pop quiz," said Alaric, putting the shirts onto the bed the next morning. "The dagger and white ash are in Elijah's possession, correct?"

Katherine shook her head, though she really didn't want to correct him. He might look like the history teacher, but inside was pure, sadistic Klaus.

"Elijah has the dagger," said Katherine. "The Salvatores have the white ash."

"Because they daggered Elijah, but Thea released him," confirmed Alaric. "So why are the Salvatores still alive?"

"They're protecting Elena," said Katherine.

Alaric looked skeptical.

"Don't forget your on the outs with your girlfriend Jenna," added Katherine.

"Right," said Alaric, buttoning up the shirt. "Elena's aunt. For all the lies about Isobel. What else?"

"That's it," said Katherine, nervously watching him walk over to her.

"Oh, so jumpy," said Alaric, when he ran his hand down her cheek.

"Please," pleaded Katherine. "Just... kill me. I've told you everything that I know."

"You see. I believe that you believe that. But what would you not know?" he asked. "What could they be keeping from you? Hmm? Anything?" He looked her in the eye. "Tell me."

"They were trying to see if a witch could find a way to kill an Original without a dagger," said Katherine.

"What witch?" asked Alaric. "Thea?"

Katherine could have sworn a hurt look crossed his face, but she must have imagined it.

"I don't know," answered Katherine. "They wanted her father to do it, but I killed him to get the moonstone."

Alaric scrutinized her. "Well, we'll have to get to the bottom of that. If there's a witch that could find a way to kill an Original, it's Thea Martin."

o – o – o

Thea and Luka were in the kitchen, having a subdued breakfast when Jonas walked in, carrying the still-full glass of blood.

"Dad," said Luka. "How are you feeling?"

Jonas set the glass of blood down on the table.

"I need to say something," said Jonas. "You both need to hear this."

Thea and Luka stayed silent.

Jonas sighed. "I love you both. I know I haven't said it enough. And I know I wasn't always there for you when I should have been. But this." He picked up the glass of blood. "This is for you."

Then he gulped it down.

Luka smiled. "Dad!"

He quickly hugged Jonas. Then Thea saw the veins appear under his eyes and Jonas pushed Luka away.

"It's okay," Thea said quickly. "It'll take some time." She turned to Luka. "You should get to school. I'll stay with him."

Luka hesitated.

"Go!" Thea said, shooing Luka out the door.

Luka nodded and left with a big smile on his face.

Jonas warily sat down at the kitchen table.

"Thank you," said Thea. "It means a lot. I know you can handle it."

Jonas sighed. "I hope you're right." He looked her in the eye. "And if I can't, I trust you'll do the right thing."

Thea squirmed uncomfortably. "Dad..."

"I'm serious, Thea," said Jonas. "I'll walk right outside in the sun this instant if you don't agree."

Thea remembered the promise Elijah had made to her, when Thea had asked him the same thing, only about her newfound channeling power.

"Alright," agreed Thea. "There's some stuff I should catch you up on though."

o – o – o

"Don't lose it," said Thea, handing Jonas the ring.

He looked at the lapis lazuli ring and slipped it on his finger.

"I haven't worn a ring since..." he trailed off.

"Since you and Mom got divorced?" ventured Thea.

Jonas nodded sadly. "What would your mother say about this?"

"Who cares?" asked Thea, rolling her eyes. "She left, remember?"

At Jonas' sad look, Thea continued. "Don't think about her, okay?" She took her father's hands in hers. "These next few weeks are going to be tough. Heightened emotions are part of the vampire package. Just try and stay calm."

She got up from the table.

"Where are you going?" asked Jonas.

"Luka should be home from school soon," said Thea. "I have to go to the Salvatore's. Apparently Klaus made some kind of move."

"And they called you?"

Thea laughed. "They must be scared and desperate, no?"

"Is Elijah going with you?"

Thea nodded.

"Good."

o – o – o

"How is he doing?" asked Elijah, when Thea climbed into his car.

Thea shrugged. "As well as can be expected. Thanks for the blood bags. They'll help."

Elijah pulled away from the curb. "And how are you, my dear?"

Thea closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "I don't know. It's never gonna be the same, is it?"

"I'm afraid not."

Thea opened her eyes. "My sister called me. Warned me away."

"I'm assuming she did so with my brother's consent?"

Thea nodded. "Klaus must know we're working together. We didn't exactly make it a secret that we planned to kill him."

"He spared you once," Elijah commented.

"I doubt he'll do it again," said Thea. "I just hope..."

She trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Are you having doubts?" asked Elijah. "Greta may be traitorous, but she is your sister."

"And Klaus is your brother. Are you ready to kill him?"

"I must be. I have nothing left but revenge."

Thea nodded sadly. "Then I can't let my personal feelings get in the way either."

Elijah looked at her curiously. "This isn't just about your sister, is it?"

Thea sighed. "Klaus was a friend. I thought... I thought he..." She sighed. "That all his anger was just a mask for the pain. The pain of the curse. Things in his past. I guess I wrong."

Elijah sighed. "I don't believe you were... Our wounds as a family run deep. And Niklaus was perhaps the most affected of us all."

Thea frowned "What wounds?"

Elijah shook his head. "It's pointless to speak of them. My family is lost and he is responsible. There can be no excuse."

"Of course," said Thea.

There was a long pause before she broke the silence.

"His real name is Niklaus?"

"Yes."

"What's your real name?" asked Thea in a teasing tone.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Elijah is a biblical name, my dear."

Thea smiled. "Do people call you 'Lij or Eli?"

His lips twitched. "Not if they expect me to answer."

o – o – o

"He wants you to 'save him the last dance'?" asked Thea with a roll of her eyes.

Thea, Elijah, Elena and the Salvatore brothers were at the Boarding House. Elena had just finished describing how Klaus had apparently compelled a student to taunt Elena at lunch.

"I'm sorry he freaked you out," said Thea, looking sympathetically at Elena. "But I'm not sure what you want us to do about it."

"I thought we were all on the same team," countered Stefan. "Isn't that why Damon showed you where the witch burial site was?"

"I have no intention of confronting Klaus prior to the ritual," said Elijah. "It would be unwise to stray from our plan."

"He's practically begging us to take him out at the dance," said Damon.

"All the more reason not to take the bait," argued Thea. "I suggest you all stay home and away from the high school tonight. Luka isn't going to that dance. That's for damn sure."

"What if Greta is there?" asked Damon. "With Klaus?"

Thea narrowed her eyes at Damon's attempts to manipulate her. "If we knew Klaus was going to be there, I'd go. But we don't. It's probably some sort of trap."

"Well, I have to go," said Elena, shaking her head.

"Are you crazy?" exclaimed Damon. "If they're not going," he indicated Thea and Elijah, "you're not going Elena."

"I have to go, Damon. What will Klaus do if I don't show up? What if he decides to send a message about not listening to him? The same type of message he sent Katherine?"

Thea winced, knowing exactly how Klaus had taken out his rage on Katherine's family.

"I don't give a fuck about..." Damon started.

A knock at the door interrupted whatever Damon was going to say. The door opened and Alaric stepped through.

"What's going on?" asked Alaric, looking at everyone's tense faces.

His gaze seemed to linger on Elijah and Thea.

"Klaus made his first move," said Damon.

"He's coming to the dance tonight," supplied Elena.

"So what's the plan?" asked Alaric.

Everyone looked at Thea and Elijah.

Thea sighed. Maybe Elena was right. She hated rising to Klaus' taunts, but it was better to play his game than risk him killing a bunch of high school students because she was stubborn. If she managed to kill him, all the better. Even if she didn't last the night.

"Fine, I'll make an appearance," said Thea. She turned to Alaric. "Put me down as a chaperone, Ric?"

"Me too," said Damon.

"I will attend as well," said Elijah.

"No," said Thea.

Elijah's face looked confused.

"Can you stay with Jonas and Luka tonight?" asked Thea. "I don't trust this isn't some type of misdirection. We can't leave them unprotected."

"Hold on a second," said Damon. "Since when does Papa Witch need vampire protection?

Thea sighed. "Katherine killed my father yesterday. He's a vampire, not a witch. Luka's no match for Klaus."

"I'm so sorry," said Elena.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"Perhaps I ought to attend the dance," offered Elijah. "While you stay with your family."

"You can't kill him," said Thea. "I can."

"That's not gonna be that easy," chuckled Alaric. "I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around."

Thea rolled her eyes. "He's not the biggest, believe me."

Alaric's face darkened. "I just mean it would take a lot of power to kill him."

"Alaric has a point," said Damon. "Why don't we just use the dagger?"

"The dagger does not work on Klaus," said Elijah.

"Why not?" demanded Stefan.

Thea looked at Elijah.

"What is it?" asked Elena. "What are you not telling us?"

Elijah nodded. "Perhaps it's time you knew the whole truth."

And then he told them. How Klaus was his half-brother, that he'd had his werewolf side suppressed and was trying to unlock it in order to sire his own hybrid line.

"So the Sun and the Moon curse is fake?" asked Damon.

Elijah nodded. "The easiest way to find a lost stone and doppelganger was to have the members of two warring species on the lookout for it."

"So that's why you're so desperate to stop him," said Stefan, looking at Thea. "You're afraid what will happen if he breaks the curse."

"I wanted my sister back," said Thea. "I don't think that's going to happen. She's with him willingly. But we can't let him break the curse and live. A hybrid's bite would be lethal to vampires 24/7. He would own the dominant species on the planet."

"Then let's kill him," said Damon. "Tonight."

o – o – o

"The 60s?" groaned Thea, as she and Elijah pulled away from the Boarding House. "What am I supposed to wear? Bell bottoms and tie dye?"

"Whatever you wear, I'm sure it'll be lovely," smiled Elijah, who seemed amused by her annoyance.

"You still open to switching?" asked Thea.

"I would encourage it."

Thea sighed. "You agree with Luka. You think I shouldn't risk using all this power to kill him?"

"I do not wish to see you harmed, Thea. Especially as we can just as easily end him after the ritual."

"But what if something goes wrong?" asked Thea. "What if we miss our shot and tonight would have been the only time to take him out? Once he's turns to a wolf after the ritual, it's over. This power isn't enough to kill him once he's a hybrid."

"I'm aware of that complication."

"Then you know how narrow our window is," said Thea. "If he shows tonight..."

"I hope you will show restraint," said Elijah, his tone a little sharp. "You convinced Jonas to complete the transition so he would not abandon those who care for him, I wish you would take the same consideration for yourself."

Thea didn't respond. Was this Elijah's way of saying he cared about her? That he didn't want her to die? If his only goal was to kill Klaus, shouldn't he be encouraging her to go for it tonight?

The rest of the ride passed in silence.

When they arrived at Jonas' apartment, Elijah and Thea walked towards the front door.

"Thanks for watching them," said Thea as she unlocked the front door and started to walk up the stairs to her father's apartment.

Elijah smiled sadly. "We all have our parts to play."

"I'll be okay, Elijah," said Thea, as they walked up the stairs. "There's no guarantee killing him will kill me."

Once they were in front of Jonas' apartment, Elijah grabbed Thea's hand.

"Elijah..." she breathed.

And then he kissed her. Not just a small peck on the cheek, but a full-on hard press to the lips. He ran his hands up to her neck and aligned his body with hers.

She moaned when she felt his tongue seeking entrance, readily granting it with a parting of her lips. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his torso, running her hands up and down his back.

The door to the apartment opened and a sudden intake of air startled them.

She jumped back and saw Luka standing there.

"Hey," Thea said awkwardly. "Change of plans for tonight."

Luka just looked amused as he stepped aside to let Elijah and Thea in.

As she faced Luka and her father, she tried to calm her beating heart and not think about the mind-blowing kiss. If she could just focus on the task at hand, maybe she could survive the night and see if there were more kisses in their future.

 **A/N: Let me know what you think! Both about the changes to canon I'm making and the progression of Elijah and Thea's relationship. I know I said I may pair her with others, but I may scrap that and just go full-on Elijah/Thea...**


	11. The Last Dance (Part Two)

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! The wait was a bit longer on this one, mostly because I had to map out the rest of Season 2. Everything is so inter-mingled for the rest of the season, up until the sacrifice, that I wanted to make sure I knew exactly what was happening. So now that's done and I'm hoping chapters will come a bit faster!**

 **Glad people are enjoying the Klaus/Thea (former) friendship, as well as the Elijah/Thea romance. I do like Klaus and always thought he could use a friend, so hopefully I can find a way for them to come to an understanding. But given what's coming, it might be a while. So let's enjoy the ride!**

"You're right," said Alaric, angrily slamming the closet doors. "Thea is all juiced up and aiming to kill. Elijah is egging her on."

"That's terrible," said Katherine, trying to suppress a roll of her eyes.

"We're going to have to kill her, Maddox," said Alaric, sighing. "Elijah too."

"Kill Thea?" echoed Maddox.

Maddox and Thea hadn't been as close as Klaus and Thea, but they had been friendly. Maddox had recruited her, shared a lot of his magical knowledge with her, even helped her with some tricky spells.

"Is that a problem?" demanded Alaric, angrily.

Maddox raised an eyebrow. "Your decision."

"Thea decided," Alaric growled angrily. "Thea and Elijah." He went over to the dresser. "Do you think this Alaric guy has anything vintage?"

He noticed a false bottom in one of the drawers and pulled it open, frowning at all the weapons there.

"Crossbows, wooden bullets and automatics?" he muttered. "Who is this guy again?"

"He's the local vampire hunter," answered Katherine.

"Ah," sighed Alaric. "Well that explains the clothing."

"All I could find," said Maddox, interrupting. "Guy likes his bourbon."

"I knew there was something about him I liked," commented Alaric, grabbing the offered glass and downing it. "There's a high school dance. And I'm going to need you to take her out."

Maddox shifted uncomfortably. "If she has that much power, she can sense me coming from a mile away. And what about Elijah?"

Alaric growled angrily. "They seemed awfully close during the little gang's pow-wow. But he's baby-sitting the defenseless Martins tonight."

Maddox smiled at that. "Then I think I have an idea."

o – o – o

Thea sighed at she pulled into the high school's parking lot. She checked her hair and make-up one last time before stepping out of her car.

After quickly explaining the plan for the night to Luka and Jonas, Thea had left the apartment and went to the closest costume store for a 60s outfit.

Upon returning from the store, she'd had to endure a heated 30 minute conversation with her father and brother where they tried to talk her out of going after Klaus. It was only because she threatened to throw up a barrier that they finally relented. Still, their words were ringing in her ears, telling her to be careful and wait for the sacrifice.

"Just protect the kids tonight and stay safe," said Jonas. "It's not worth your life, Thea."

Elijah had arrived a few minutes before the dance had started and Thea had tried to not feel awkward around him. They hadn't been alone since he'd grabbed her and planted that mind-blowing kiss on her lips. She wondered what would have happened if they'd been alone and not interrupted by Luka.

Thea sighed, trying to focus on the current situation and not the sexual magnetism of Elijah. She tugged on the short hemline of the dress she was wearing and made her way to the school entrance.

"Thea!"

Thea turned around to see Damon standing there. Looking beyond Damon, she saw Elena and Stefan were with him.

"Hey guys," said Thea, nervously smiling.

"You ready?" asked Damon, holding out his hand.

Thea rolled her eyes and walked passed him.

"Ouch," drawled Damon, walking beside her. "You're not still mad, are you?"

"That you tried to kill my father and turn me?" Thea asked as they entered the school.

Stefan and Elena followed behind them.

"In my defense," said Damon. "You're the one who lied about Elijah's true intentions. The real curse. And your father was trespassing on my property."

Thea scoffed. "Most people call the cops, not set the person on fire."

Damon smirked. "I'm not most people."

"Can we focus, guys?" Stefan interrupted from behind them. "We don't have time to argue about who betrayed who."

Thea sighed, but didn't argue. She just joined Damon, Elena and Stefan as they walked into the crowded gym.

o – o – o

'Everything in place?'

Klaus looked at the text message Maddox had sent him, using the history teacher's phone. There could be no mistakes tonight- it was essential everyone, including Thea, believed he was truly Alaric Saltzman.

He looked around the gym when he spotted her. Thea's long brown hair was pushed off her pretty face with a colorful headband. Her dress was form-fitting and she was sporting knee-high boots.

He could admit, there had been a time when he'd been attracted to her. Thought perhaps they could be more than colleagues, more than friends.

When he'd revealed his true self and they'd started working together, he'd found her utterly fascinating. Her open mind, quick wit and sarcastic sense of humor had kept him in the library long after their work conversations ended.

 _October 2008, Austin_

" _You tried using magic to heat the hamburger?" asked Klaus, quizically._

 _Thea shrugged, still laughing. "I was eight, maybe? My parents had just split up. My dad was late getting home and Greta was hungry- Luka was still at daycare. I was strictly forbidden to use the stove, but I'd been practicing lighting candles with my dad, so..."_

 _Klaus chuckled. "And how bad was the damage?"_

" _It wasn't awful!" exclaimed Thea. "The meat patties exploded, along with the dish they were on. We cleaned up as best we could, but there were several pieces of meat on the ceiling, not to mention the broken dish had embedded itself in one of the kitchen cabinets."_

 _Klaus laughed._

" _What? Are you some master cook?" teased Thea, shaking her head._

" _I know my way around the kitchen," said Klaus, defensively. "Come. I'll show you."_

 _She looked confused._

 _He tilted his head. "I know you're hungry. I've been listening to your stomach growling for the past five minutes."_

 _Thea huffed. "Damn vampire hearing." She frowned. "You don't need to feed me though. I can wait until I'm home."_

" _Nonsense," he said._

 _He smiled and led her to the kitchen of his house._

" _Pretty big kitchen for someone who doesn't need food to eat," she commented, eyeing the spacious and well-equipped kitchen._

 _Klaus shrugged. "Came with the house."_

 _They talked about food, drinks, culinary customs, etc. while Klaus prepared a quick meal of pork, mashed potatoes and green beans._

" _This is delicious," said Thea as they sat down at the table._

" _You needn't sound so shocked," frowned Klaus._

" _Sorry," she said, quickly. "I just... a vampire who can cook?" She smiled. "You're not what I expected from the feared vampire, Klaus."_

 _Klaus smiled back. "I do hope that's a good thing."_

" _It's definitely a good thing."_

 _Klaus watched her as she returned to her meal. She was beautiful, no doubt. Smart, ambitious. Not afraid to speak her mind. Not for the first time, he wondered if she'd let him take her to bed._

 _He done so many times in the past with witches who'd worked with him. Often, they would throw themselves at him and he was more than happy to oblige them. But Thea was different. She didn't flirt with him, didn't roam her eyes over him with interest._

 _It was almost refreshing, in a way. It was clear she only considered him a friend, which is why their conversations were so comfortable. She put him at ease. As 'at ease' as he could be with anyone these days._

 _Later, they were in his study with an after-dinner drink, seated in the window seat of the giant bay window while he pointed out constellations._

" _It must be different," said Thea, after he'd finished talking about Lupus, the wolf._

" _The stars, you mean?" he asked, turning to face her. "They are actually quite similar to how they were in my youth."_

" _Hmm..." she murmured, looking at him. "So I guess that makes you less than, what, 10,000 years old?"_

 _Klaus chuckled. "You never turn that mind off, do you?"_

 _Thea smiled and sipped her drink. "I'm sorry."_

" _Don't be," he said quietly. "Never apologize for being yourself."_

 _Thea nodded. "Thanks." She sighed, looking back at the stars. "What a beautiful night. I can't remember the last time I stargazed."_

" _Not one for smelling the roses?" he mused._

" _Not lately," she admitted. "I think the last time was when I was in high school. My ex-boyfriend had an astronomy kick... It was romantic. A late-night picnic."_

" _It does sound romantic," he nodded._

 _He frowned, wondering if he'd misinterpreted her disinterest._

 _She looked at his intense gaze and her eyes widened._

" _I didn't mean..." she trailed off. "We're just friends, you and I. Right? I mean, you're a good-looking guy, but there's no..."_

" _Spark?" mused Klaus._

 _Thea shrugged. "I guess so. You didn't think, I mean..."_

 _She looked embarrassed, wondering if he'd been thinking something different._

 _Funnily, her disinterest didn't hurt his pride as much as he thought. In a way, he was flattered. Most of the people he was associated with, his bed-partners included, were drawn by his looks, his power, his money, his sexual prowess._

 _Thea seemed to just enjoy hanging out with him. He couldn't remember when he'd last spent time with someone who didn't seem to have an agenda._

 _His heart ached for a brief moment, thinking it had probably been before he'd driven away Elijah._

" _Relax, love," he said, smiling. "I had no expectations. I used to look at the constellations with my siblings, so I promise I don't find it romantic in the slightest."_

" _You had a family?" asked Thea, tilting her head as she gazed at him._

 _Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Did you think I just sprung from the ground, fully formed, like some kind of plant?"_

 _Thea laughed. "I don't know what to think, Klaus. I know you're from the first generation of vampires, but nobody knows what that actually means."_

" _Ah, yes, well," he said, smirking. "That is, indeed, by design."_

 _Then he turned the conversation to other topics and to her credit, Thea didn't press him._

Klaus looked at the phone once again, Maddox's text message still unanswered.

'Everything in place?' Maddox had asked.

Klaus looked at Thea one more time and responded. 'I'm ready.'

o – o – o

When Thea, Damon, Stefan and Elena walked into the gym, the music had been turned off and a student on stage was at the microphone.

"Thanks for being here, everybody," she said with a smile.

Everyone cheered. Thea clapped half-heartedly, not sure if she hoped Klaus would or wouldn't show.

"We have a special shout-out tonight," continued the girl on-stage. "This is for Elena... From Klaus."

Damon stiffened beside Thea and they all looked around the room. But she couldn't see Klaus anywhere. Where was he? Was this some kind of trick?

"That was a lame, cheap shot," sneered Damon. "He's just trying to bait us."

"I know everyone here," said Elena.

"Maybe he's not here," offered Stefan. "Maybe you were right." He looked at Thea. "It's a trap."

Thea looked around nervously. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Stop being so negative," said Damon, shaking his head.

"You don't get it," said Thea, looking Damon square in the eye. "You don't want to meet him on his terms."

Elena and Stefan frowned, but Damon just shook his head dismissively.

"It's a party, people," said Damon. "Blend. Let him come to us."

Thea nodded her head numbly.

"There's Ric," said Damon. "Come on, Maleficent."

Thea rolled her eyes, but followed him. "Calling me an evil Disney witch isn't helping."

"I'll have you know, I've always admired the Disney villains. They're so much more interesting than the heroes and princesses." He looked over at her. "And let's face it, sweetheart, you're no damsel."

Thea laughed as they came up to Alaric.

"What's so funny?" Alaric asked.

"Damon trying to butter me up by comparing me to a horned cartoon witch," Thea responded.

Damon smirked. "If it works..."

"Can we just focus please?" asked Thea. "You know, Klaus."

"Yeah," said Alaric. "Special dedication... This guy is twisted."

Thea snorted. "Obviously."

Damon frowned. "I'm not impressed." He turned to Thea. "Do you see him?"

"No, he's not here," she answered.

Then she realized what she'd said.

"How did you figure it out?" she asked Damon.

"Figure out what?" frowned Alaric.

"You must think we're fucking stupid," said Damon, looking at her harshly. He looked at Alaric. "She knows him. Klaus."

Thea had been hoping this wouldn't come up. Elijah hadn't mentioned Thea's past association with Klaus yesterday, when he'd revealed Klaus was his brother, what the true curse was, etc. They already were suspicious of Elijah because of his connection to Klaus. She didn't want to give them reasons to doubt her too.

"I knew him," Thea corrected. She sighed. "Long story short, I used to be one of his witches. I found out what he planned to do once the curse was broken and I stopped working for him. And then he took my sister."

"As payback?" asked Damon.

"Partially," said Thea. "And to buy my silence."

"That didn't work though," commented Alaric. "Since you're spilling all his secrets."

Thea turned on the history teacher. "There's too much at stake now. He has everything he needs to break the curse."

"You'd risk your sister?" asked Damon.

"Greta doesn't want to be saved," said Thea, sadly. "I think she'd die for him."

"Guess you're not the loyal type," said Alaric.

Thea narrowed her eyes. "Fuck you! I love my sister. But she threatened me. And Luka and my father if we didn't leave Mystic Falls."

Damon frowned. "What did she say?"

Thea shook her head. "It doesn't matter. She made her choice."

"Just remember that when she and her boss are trying to kill us all," said Damon, dryly. "Let me know if you see him."

Thea nodded. "I'm going to get something to drink."

She took off before Alaric could say another word.

o – o – o

Thea was standing on the edge of the gym, surveying the crowd, when her phone buzzed.

She smiled when she saw it was a text from Elijah.

'How is your evening? Any sign of my baby brother?'

'Boring. Nothing so far,' she responded.

She was tempted to write 'wish you were here', because it was true, but she refrained. She was beginning to really like Elijah, but didn't want to scare him off or anything. Just because he'd kissed her didn't mean anything concrete. What if he'd just done it as a good-bye? To be nice? Since he knew she could die tonight.

He didn't seem the type to do something like that, but what did she really know about him? He could rival Klaus in the mysterious department, though he was more open about his past than his younger brother. But Klaus wore his heart on his sleeve to a great extent (even if he wished he didn't), while Elijah was one of the most reserved people she'd ever met.

She mentally shook her head. She should not be thinking about Elijah right now. She quickly scanned the crowd, but didn't see any sign of Klaus.

"Guy's a no-show, huh?" asked Alaric, coming to stand beside her.

"Dance is almost half over," said Thea, looking at her watch. "It'd just be like him to call us here and never show."

Alaric raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"To throw us off-balance," Thea responded. "To second-guess ourselves and our strategy." She laughed bitterly. "I always wondered if he was friends with Sun-Tzu, or Machiavelli."

"Sun-Tzu lived in the 5th century B.C. You think he's that old?"

Thea shrugged. "Who knows?"

They stood there in silence for a few seconds.

"Watch out for any suspicous behavior?" asked Thea. "I need to use the rest room."

"I need to go too," said Alaric, following her out the door.

And Thea didn't see it, but the smirking smile on Alaric's face as he walked behind her was pure, smug Klaus.

o – o – o

"Want any?" asked Jonas, holding up a glass of whiskey.

Elijah nodded. "Please."

Jonas poured another glass and handed it to Elijah.

"Where's mine?" asked Luka.

"Waiting for you when you turn 21," Jonas responded gruffly.

Luka huffed, but turned his attention back to his laptop. "I'll be in my room. Let me know if you hear from Thea."

Elijah frowned at Luka's retreating back.

"Don't mind him," said Jonas. "He wanted to go to the dance. Apparently some girl named Macy even agreed to be his date."

"I'm sure he will have another chance."

Jonas sighed. "I remember when I was 17. Thought everything was the end of the world too."

Elijah opened his mouth to respond, but didn't get a chance because there was a knock at the door. Elijah looked at Jonas, who shrugged.

"We're not expecting anyone," said Jonas, getting up.

Elijah made it to the door first and opened it.

"Elena!" exclaimed Elijah. "What happened?"

Elena looked disheveled. Her hair mussed, with blood spatters on her 60s costume.

Elena shook her head, clearly struggling to remain calm. "It's Thea. He went after both of us in the parking lot. She's hurt."

Elijah couldn't breathe. "Where is she?"

"She's in my car," sobbed Elena. "I had to get her out of there. I didn't know if he had help or..."

"Where's your car?" demanded Jonas.

"In... In the alleyway," cried Elena.

Elijah was out the door before Elena could say anything.

"Stay here," commanded Jonas, before using his vampire speed to follow Elijah.

o – o – o

Where was the witch?

Damon frowned as he surveyed the gym. One minute he was dancing with some cute girls in mini-skirts and the next no one was around.

He didn't see his brother or Elena. Alaric and Thea were missing as well. He spotted Jeremy standing near the punch bowl with Bonnie.

"Have either of you seen Elena?" asked Damon.

They both shook their heads.

"What about Thea or Stefan?"

"I think Thea was talking to Alaric," offered Jeremy.

"We'll help you look," said Bonnie.

Both Bonnie and Jeremy were aware of the full Klaus situation.

"You stay here," said Damon. "Text me if you see them. I'll check the rest of the school."

o – o – o

At top speed, it took less than two seconds for Elijah to arrive in the alleyway next to Jonas' apartment. He approached the only vehicle there and tore open the door.

He frowned when he found the vehicle empty.

"Where is she?" came Jonas' angry voice beside him.

Elijah turned, intending to speed back upstairs to Elena when he saw her standing there.

"Where is Thea?" asked Elijah, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Worried about your little witch girlfriend, Elijah? She's a little young for you, don't you think?"

Elijah growled. "Katherine."

He zoomed forward, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier. He looked down and saw that he and Jonas had walked into a large circle of salt that surrounded the vehicle.

"Where is my daughter?" demanded Jonas.

"I can't tell you," said Katherine, though she said it without any malice.

"She's being compelled," said Elijah. "What's the meaning of this?"

He pressed on the barrier, wondering what witch had set this up.

As if on cue, a tall man came strolling down the alleyway.

"What did we catch?" he asked, tilting his head. "An Original and a newbie vampire." He turned to Katherine. "I took care of Luka. You can go back now."

Katherine nodded and disappeared.

"What did you do to my son?" Jonas practically screamed.

Maddox held his hand out and Jonas immediately collapsed to the ground, holding his head in agony.

"Nothing permanent," said Maddox.

Then he twisted his wrist and Jonas' neck snapped.

"You cannot hope to trap me indefinitely," said Elijah, facing Maddox.

Maddox raised an eyebrow. "Even with this?"

He pulled out a dagger and Elijah took an involuntary step back before he surged forward, banging on the barrier.

"I've been setting this boundary up for hours," said Maddox calmly. "I know what it takes to hold an Original. I'm just lucky you took the bait."

"What have you done to Thea?" growled Elijah. "Where is she?"

Maddox smiled sadly. "Right where Klaus wants her."

Then Elijah felt his neck snap and he sank into darkness.

o – o – o

"Well that was a bust," groaned Damon as he sauntered out of the gym with the rest of the students.

Thea frowned. "Yeah, I don't get it."

The dance was officially over and nothing had happened. Other than Klaus' creepy dedication to Elena, it had been just a regular high school dance.

After bidding farewell to the Salvatores and Elena, Thea went to her car. She was surprised to see Alaric leaning against it.

"Ric?"

"Hey, Thea," he smiled. "Mind giving me a ride home? My car won't start."

"Do you need a jump?" she asked.

He shook his head. "It's not the battery. I already called for a tow."

"Sure," she said. "Do you need to wait for the tow?"

He nodded.

She quickly fired off a text to her father, saying she was fine, but that a friend had car trouble, so she'd be late.

o – o – o

"So you worked for Klaus," said Alaric.

He and Thea were sitting on the hood of her car, waiting for the tow truck to arrive.

Thea nodded. "I know it sounds bad. But, I didn't know it was him at first. And even when he told me... Well I'm not one of those people that thinks all vampires are bad. Plus he has this amazing collection of grimoires and dark objects. He asked me to organize them."

"And help him break the curse?" asked Alaric.

"Yeah. Creating spells has always been a hobby of mine- it's something my dad and I used to do when I was younger. Klaus thought maybe I could figure out how to break the curse without the doppelganger or the moonstone."

"Sounds like he had a lot of faith in you."

Thea shrugged. "I guess so." She smiled. "He said I was one of the cleverest witches he'd ever met. Decent power, extraordinary mind."

"You two were close," said Alaric, with a raised eyebrow.

Thea tilted her head. "You're very perceptive." She sighed. "We were friends. I mean if you count someone as a friend who lied to get your help."

Alaric sighed. "People lie for many reasons, Thea. Sometimes they're being selfish. Sometimes they're just... scared."

"Scared of what?"

"That you'll hate them if you knew the truth," said Alaric, peering into her eyes.

Thea blinked, then she realized what Alaric was talking about. "I heard about you and Jenna. I'm sorry."

Alaric looked a little surprised, but then he nodded. "Well, I guess I couldn't keep her in the dark forever."

"Probably not."

"So, you were friends with Klaus? Elijah is his brother? And your sister is working for him?"

Thea just nodded.

Alaric shook his head. "And you're ready to kill them both?"

Thea rubbed her head. "I'm less worried about Greta, to be honest. With all this power, subduing her won't be a problem."

"And Klaus"

Thea sighed. "What do you want me to say? It's not like I want to kill him. Klaus is... look, I know all you guys see is this big, scary ruthless monster with no face, intent on sacrificing someone you care about..."

Alaric cocked an eyebrow. "Are you saying he isn't a ruthless monster?"

"I'm saying nobody is just one thing," said Thea, quietly. "Besides, we're all monsters. In our own way."

Thea felt Alaric's intense gaze on her face.

"You're having doubts," he accused.

Thea whipped her head around to face him. "What if it were Isobel? Or your brother or sister? Or god, even Damon? Could you do it? Could you kill your friend?"

Alaric didn't respond, just looked at her thoughtfully.

"I know what I have to do," said Thea in a whisper. "As a keeper of the balance, I..." She sighed. "I won't let you down."

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

"Drink?" he asked after a few minutes, holding a flask out.

Thea sighed and took the flask. "I guess since the big bad Klaus didn't show." She took a sip. "Not bad."

"I only drink the best, love," said Alaric.

Thea blinked. "What did you say?"

Alaric smirked.

Thea felt her head getting heavy. "What...?" She stumbled off the car. "What did you..."

"Ah, yes," said Alaric. "Maddox mixed it up. A bit of sedative with anti-magic herbs. You know he is quite crafty."

"Klaus..." she whispered as she fell to the ground.

o – o – o

Thea blinked and immediately closed her eyes against the harsh assault of the bright lights. She breathed in and cracked her eyes open a little.

She was lying on a soft surface- a bed that was not her own. What had happened? She was at the dance and then... Klaus. Klaus was in Alaric's body and he'd given her something.

"Good morning," came Alaric's voice.

She shot up and noticed her wrists were encircled in handcuffs as she held them out to use her magic against him. But nothing happened. She tried in vain to call her magic again, but it didn't respond.

"Special handcuffs," said Alaric, coming to sit beside her on the bed. "For witches. I'm sure you understand."

Thea looked at him warily. "Why aren't I dead?"

Alaric taken aback for a second, then shrugged. "What would be the point of that? Tomorrow night is the full moon. Soon my curse will be broken and you won't be able to stop me."

"The others..."

"Have no idea you're here," finished Alaric. He tossed a bag of food at her. "They don't know I'm in this body."

Thea looked around, realizing she must be in Alaric's apartment.

"Now," he said. "Be a good girl and don't get into trouble when I'm gone."

He stood up. "Katerina?"

Katherine appeared beside him.

Alaric looked her in the eye and compelled her. "You are to ensure neither you, nor she leaves the apartment until I tell you to. You will not remove the handcuffs and you will not harm her in any way."

Then he swept out of the apartment.

 **A/N: I'm trying to add some plot twists in addition to the relationships canon characters have with the Thea.**

 **I felt like I should address Klaus' feelings about Thea and their (former) friendship, at least a little bit. I wanted it to be clear they are just friends and that both of them prefer it that way.**

 **Let me know how I did...**


	12. Klaus

Elena frowned, looking at her phone.

"Something wrong?" asked Stefan, softly kissing her shoulder as they lay in bed together.

Elena looked over at him. "Thea's not answering her phone. Neither is Elijah or Luka or Jonas."

"It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday," murmured Stefan. "They're probably just sleeping in."

Elena looked skeptical. "All of them?"

Stefan smiled at her. "I guess we can stop by the Martins on the way to the Grill for some coffee."

Elena smiled and threw back the covers.

o – o – o

Thea watched Alaric leave the apartment, trying to keep her boiling anger in check. The handcuffs encircling her wrists had a longer-than-average chain and were surprisingly light, so she spent a few minutes banging around, trying to get them off.

"Do you know the definition of insanity?" drawled Katherine, who was perched on a stool in the kitchen.

Thea just rolled her eyes and ignored Katherine. There was certainly no love lost there. Katherine had killed Jonas, after all. Had threatened Luka's life. And for what? Just to hand over the moonstone to Klaus, knowing full well what he'd do with it, just to save her own skin.

After another few seconds of Thea trying in vain to free herself from the cuffs, Katherine suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Stop that!" commanded Katherine, snarling at her.

"Fuck you!" Thea shot back. "Excuse me if I haven't given up hope. Or maybe you're content to just wait around for Klaus to do as he pleases."

Katherine growled. "You heard his compulsion. I can't leave. I can't let you leave. I can't break your cuffs. What do you expect me to do?"

Thea clenched her jaw, hating that Katherine was right. Thea angrily grabbed the bag of food Alaric had given her earlier and started chomping down.

Katherine just rolled her eyes. "What do you care? At least you're making it out of this apartment alive."

Thea scoffed. "How can you be so sure?"

She didn't pretend to understand Klaus' reasons for keeping her alive. Perhaps he was planning to somehow steal the power she was channeling and put it into another witch? Was it not to upset Greta? Thea refused to believe her sister didn't care if she lived or died and maybe had somehow bargained with Klaus for Thea's life.

A part of her thought maybe there was some sentimentality underneath Klaus' gruff exterior. That maybe the friendship they'd once shared was enough to spare her.

"You're still breathing, aren't you?" said Katherine, dragging Thea out of her thoughts. "You were lying there unconscious for hours. He could have killed you, but for some reason both the Original brothers have this massive hard-on for you. Why is that?"

Thea narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean 'both the brothers'?"

Katherine laughed. "You don't think you were the only one Klaus took down last night, do you?"

"What did he do with Elijah?" gasped Thea.

Katherine shrugged. "Poked him with a spare dagger."

Thea frowned. "In Alaric's body?"

Katherine just smirked. "Elijah was only too willing to fall into Maddox's magical trap... when he thought you were in danger."

Thea groaned. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"Well, Elijah does love playing the white knight," said Katherine, tilting her head. "Though you don't strike me as the type who generally needs rescuing."

Thea raised an eyebrow. "Careful, Katherine. That almost sounded like a compliment."

"I don't do compliments," said Katherine, cocking an eyebrow.

They lapsed into a slightly uncomfortable silence while Thea ate her meal. After searching the apartment top to bottom, looking for tools of some sort, she reluctantly concluded that there didn't seem to be a way she could free herself.

She plopped back on the couch, closing her eyes and trying to relax, hoping to think of a solution.

"Giving up already?" asked Katherine's mocking voice.

"Can you just be quiet?" demanded Thea. "I'm trying to think. There has to be a way out of here. Every spell has loophole."

"Trust me, there's not," said Katherine, glumly. "Nothing to do but wait until Klaus comes back to feed me to the wolves. Literally."

Thea rolled her eyes. "You expect me to feel sorry for you, Katherine? You killed my father!"

"Out of self-defense!" snarled Katherine. "I was trying to buy my freedom from that monster."

"And how'd that work out for you?" snapped Thea.

Katherine scoffed. "I didn't ask for any of this. Just because I was born with this face, my entire life and my family's lives were ruined."

Thea shook her head and sighed. "What happened to you wasn't fair. But you're not the only one whose choice was taken away." Thea stood up and looked Katherine in the eye. "And some people would rather die than let the rest of the world burn in their place."

"Those people are stupid," said Katherine angrily. "I..." She trailed off. "He's coming back."

Thea looked at the door and a few seconds later, Alaric and Maddox walked in.

"Hello, my lovelies," smiled Alaric. "You two didn't get into any trouble while I was gone, did you?"

o – o – o

Damon knocked on the Martin's door. "Hello!"

No answer.

Damon looked over at Stefan and Elena.

"Can you hear anything?" asked Elena.

Damon activated his vampire hearing. "No."

"Get back," said Damon, backing up a few feet, intending to knock down the door.

"Wait!" exclaimed Elena. "What if they're just out?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "What's the point of coming over here if we're just going to walk away?"

"What the hell are you doing?" came Jonas' voice from down the hall.

"Rescuing you," smirked Damon, turning to see Jonas and Luka walking towards their apartment.

"We were worried because no one was answering their phones," explained Elena. She looked past Jonas and Luka. "Where's Thea?"

Jonas sighed, unlocking the front door to his apartment. "Invite them in, son."

Five minutes later, Damon, Elena and Stefan were in shock after hearing what had happened the night before.

"Elijah's been daggered and Thea is..." Elena trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"We don't know what happened to her," said Jonas in a strained voice. "We just know that she isn't returning her calls and locator spells aren't working."

"She could be cloaked or she could be..." Luka clenched his jaw. "That's why we were out. There are some herbs that will help boost a locator spell, even if the subject is cloaked."

"We'll know more in a few minutes," said Jonas. "Just let Luka work."

Damon nodded and they all left Luka alone in the living room. Jonas passed around a few coffees and everyone just sat around the kitchen table in tense silence.

A few minutes later, Luka came into the room with a big grin on his face.

"She's alive," he said. "Somewhere in Mystic Falls. I can't get any more specific than that. But she's alive."

"Well that's great," said Damon, sarcastically. "All we have to do is check every building in Mystic Falls. It's not like the full moon is tomorrow night or anything."

"That's not helping, Damon," said Elena, shaking her head. "Is there no way to get more specific?"

Everyone looked at Jonas. Even though he was a vampire, he was still the expert on all things magic.

Jonas tilted his head. "There is one thing we could try..."

o – o – o

"I'll be back as soon as I can," said Maddox, walking out the door.

"Yes, do hurry," said Alaric. "I'm anxious to get out of this body. And if you get hung up, call me. You know how impatient I get."

Thea just sat on the couch, listlessly gazing out the window. Besides his initial greeting, Alaric hadn't said two words to her since he had returned with Maddox. Alaric and Maddox had talked about the ritual for a while before Maddox got up to leave.

"Where is he going?" asked Katherine, handing Alaric a mug of coffee.

"To retrieve me," answered Alaric. "So I can get out of this bad hair-do."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Klaus?" asked Katherine.

"Well, the full moon is almost upon us," said Alaric. "I've taken care of the witch. I have the moonstone, and the doppelganger is waiting in the wings. I am ready to break this curse."

Thea's teeth clenched, but she didn't say anything. She was still furious that she was stuck here, rendered useless by Klaus and his fucking handcuffs.

She tuned out the rest of their conversation until she heard Alaric casually mention how he slaughtered Katherine's family and she saw the look of hurt and anger on Katherine's face.

Thea still hated Katherine, how selfish she was, how Jonas had paid the price for that selfishness, but she couldn't help feel a little sorry for her.

Thea's thoughts were interrupted by Alaric's cell phone ringing. He looked at the caller I.D. and left the apartment quickly.

Katherine's head was tilted and Thea knew she was listening to the conversation.

"Who is it?" asked Thea.

"Damon," answered Katherine. She paused. "He's asking Alaric if he knows where you or Elijah are."

"I doubt he'll be of any help," muttered Thea.

The best they could hope for was someone noticing something was off about Alaric's behavior.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "He just offered to help them find you."

"Great," sighed Thea. "I'm sure he'll lead them all on a wild fucking goose chase."

o – o – o

"Hey, Stefan," said Alaric, smiling as he walked into the Grille.

"Ric," nodded Stefan as Alaric sat in the seat across from him. "Thanks for getting here so quickly."

"Of course," said Alaric. "So, what's the plan? None of the witches can find them?"

Stefan shook his head. "It seems like our only choice is to physically look for them."

Alaric frowned. "You can't be serious. Klaus could have Elijah anywhere. Thea's probably dead."

"Luka thinks she's alive."

"Really?" asked Alaric, looking at him curiously. "How does he know that?"

"From a spell," shrugged Stefan. "Are you sure you don't remember anything from last night that could help?"

Alaric tilted his head, thinking. "She did mention something about practicing some spells alone. Somewhere she couldn't destroy anything."

Stefan's eyes lit up. "Like the woods?"

Alaric shrugged. "Could be."

"Great," said Stefan. "You and I will take the woods behind the school and the cemetary. I'll ask Damon and Jonas to do the ones by the witch house."

Alaric nodded. "Whatever I can do."

Stefan smiled. "Thank you, Ric."

o – o – o

"I still can't believe this," said Damon, shaking his head as he, Jonas and Luka approached the apartment.

"Why is it so hard to believe?" asked Jonas.

"I've seen magic do some crazy things, but..." Damon sighed.

He stopped when they reached the front door. Jonas and Damon both listened, but didn't hear anything inside the apartment.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Damon.

Jonas shrugged. "If we're wrong, what does it matter?"

Damon didn't reply, just knocked on the door.

"Hello?" he called.

The door opened and a surprised Thea and Katherine stood there. Thea tried to go towards the open door, but Katherine quickly grabbed her and sped her away.

Katherine and Thea both groaned. Thea pushed Katherine away.

"Thea!" exclaimed Luka, moving into the apartment. "You're alive!"

Jonas and Damon tried to follow, but were stopped by the invitation barrier.

Thea nodded. "Klaus is in Alaric's body."

Jonas sighed. "We suspected as much."

Katherine frowned. "How'd you figure it out? I watched Maddox cloak Thea."

"Traditional locator didn't work," explained Luka. "But we still had the salt circle that witch Maddox used to trap Dad and Elijah."

Thea blinked, surprised. "You tracked Maddox down using the remnants of the boundary spell? Wow. That's impressive, Luka. That's really advanced magic."

Jonas smiled. "That's my boy. Once we realized Maddox was here, in Alaric's apartment, we realized we'd been fooled by a body-hopping spell."

"Well, congratulations," drawled Katherine, rolling her eyes. "But I've been compelled to keep both of us from leaving and I can't break her anti-magic cuffs, so..."

"So I'll do it," shrugged Damon.

"How?" asked Thea. "You can't get in and I can't leave."

Everyone frowned, clearly trying to think of a way around the compulsion.

"Get ready to run, Thea," said Luka, breaking the silence. "Now!"

o – o – o

"I think this place is a bust," said Alaric, looking around at the trees.

Stefan sighed. "Just a few more minutes. I want to make sure we've checked everywhere."

Alaric frowned. "We've been over this place twice. I'm pretty sure your vampire hearing would have picked up if she was here."

Stefan nodded, hoping it wasn't too obvious that he was stalling Alaric/Klaus.

"I guess you're right," said Stefan. "Should we head to the cemetary?"

"Sure," said Alaric. "Still no luck on her phone?"

Stefan looked up from his phone. "No. No answer. Maybe you're right. Maybe she's dead."

"You think Luka was mistaken?" Alaric asked as they headed to Stefan's car.

"I think Luka wants her to be alive," said Stefan. "Belief can be a powerful thing."

"Just like you believe you can save Elena?"

Stefan narrowed his eyes. "What's the alternative?"

Alaric looked like he wanted to say something, but just shrugged.

"Mind if we stop by my house?" asked Stefan. "I could use some blood."

Alaric looked like he might be suspicious, but he nodded and followed Stefan back to the road.

o – o – o

Luka held his hand up and Katherine immediately dropped to her knees, holding her head in agony. Thea raced to the open door and managed to get her hands through the barrier long enough for Damon to remove the cuffs from one of her wrists before Katherine dragged her back inside.

Thea grinned as she pushed Katherine away once again.

"Got it," she smiled, feeling her magic flow through her.

She looked down and the cuffs immediately fell off.

"Just like that?" asked Katherine, surprised.

Thea smiled. "One broken link is all it takes." She turned to Luka. "You need to get out of here. Maddox will be back soon, with Klaus' real body. Once he gets here..."

"You'll be long gone," said Jonas gruffly. "You're not taking him on until after the sacrifice." He held a hand up to Damon's protesting face. "We'll make sure Elena stays alive."

Thea frowned.

"I'm serious, Thea," said Jonas. "You take him out after the sacrifice. When it won't kill you. I'm not losing two daughters to that man."

Seeing the heartbroken look on Jonas' face, as well as his mention of Greta, and Thea sighed.

"Fine," she agreed.

"Then come on," said Luka, tugging Thea towards the door. "Let's go before he comes back."

Thea lifted her hand to snap Katherine's neck, but then she stopped.

"Thea, honey, what's wrong?" asked Jonas.

"Seriously," said Damon. "Stefan can only distract AlariKlaus for so long."

"I can't," said Thea. "He'll know. If he comes back and I'm gone, he'll know."

Damon rolled his eyes. "So?"

Jonas sighed. "She's right."

"I'm the only person powerful enough to take him on prior to the sacrifice," said Thea. "There's no predicting what he'll do if I escape. The best plan is to let him think I'm still subdued."

"We're not leaving you here!" exclaimed Luka. He looked desperately at Jonas. "Dad! Come on."

"It's for the best, Luka," said Jonas.

Thea nodded. "It's not much longer. The full moon is tomorrow night. I can make these cuffs appear like they're still working. Once he leaves for the sacrifice, I'll follow him and we can end this."

"What about Elena?" asked Damon. "You said you'd save her."

"Luka can do a protection spell," said Thea.

"I'll help him," said Jonas. "Keeping Elena alive will be the easy part."

"And what about Elijah?" asked Thea. "If I'm cloaked, I'm sure he is too."

"We'll worry about finding him after Klaus is dead," said Jonas.

Thea frowned, but didn't argue. Finding Elijah shouldn't be the priority, even though she missed him and desperately wanted him with her in this fight.

"There's still one problem," said Katherine. "Me. He could compel this whole plan out of me and I'm fresh out of vervain."

"Ah," smirked Damon, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small vial. "Drink this and prevent any future compulsion. Hell, you might even make it out of this alive."

He tossed it to Katherine. "Be careful with that. If he finds out you have that..." Damon smiled devilishly. "I don't wanna know what he'll do to you."

o – o – o

"I don't think there's anything here," frowned Alaric, looking around the cemetary. "Maybe we ought to look in town."

"Let's check the mausoleums one more time," said Stefan uncomfortably.

Alaric frowned. "She's not here, Stefan."

"Right," said Stefan, nodding.

"Is everything okay?" asked Alaric, scrutinizing Stefan's face.

"Uh, yeah," said Stefan, trying for a nonchalant shrug. "Why?"

Alaric was silent for a moment before responding. "Nothing. I should get home. Papers to grade and stuff..."

"Okay," said Stefan. "Thanks for your help."

Alaric nodded. "Call me if you hear anything."

Stefan cursed inwardly as he watched Alaric walk away. He picked up his phone and dialed Damon.

"Damnit!" he exclaimed when the call went to voicemail. "Damon, Alaric is coming back towards his apartment. Get out of there now!"

o – o – o

"We should probably go," said Damon, leaning against the doorway. "I..." He trailed off. "Someone's coming."

"I thought you said Stefan was keeping Alaric distracted," hissed Thea. "If he catches you here..."

"Where are we supposed to go?" whispered Damon. "Alaric lives at the end of the hallway."

"Just make something up," said Thea. "Say you're here to check on the search progress or something."

"That's ridiculous," Damon whispered. "I... shit, he's coming."

They all watched as a dog emerged from the top of the stairs.

"Really, Damon?" asked Katherine. "You heard Fido?"

An elderly woman followed the dog. She smiled as she opened the door to the apartment next to Alaric's and shut the door.

"Thanks for the heart attack," said Thea, sarcastically.

Damon just rolled his eyes. "Come on, Papa and Baby witch. You owe me one live doppelganger."

Luka shook his head and left the apartment, but not before giving Thea a big hug.

"Stay safe," said Luka. "And if you see Greta..."

Thea tilted her head and looked over Luka's head to the pained look in Jonas' eyes.

Thea smiled sadly. "I'll see you tomorrow. You stay safe too, Luka."

o – o – o

"I don't like leaving her there," said Jonas, shaking his head as he, Luka and Damon left Alaric's apartment.

"Thea can take care of herself," said Damon. He turned to Luka. "You ready to do the protection spell?"

Luka shook his head. "I'll need some supplies from our apartment. I can meet you at your house in, say, an hour?"

Damon nodded. "I'll make sure Elena's there."

"I'll meet you both there," said Jonas.

Luka frowned. "Where are you going?"

Jonas looked uncomfortable. "We're out of blood."

"Perfect," said Damon, clapping a hand on Jonas' shoulder. "We're nearly out too. We can make a supply run together."

Jonas looked like he'd rather do anything than get blood with Damon, but didn't say anything as Luka got in his car and left.

"Come on," said Damon, tilting his head and heading down the street.

Jonas frowned. "The blood bank is that way."

He looked in the opposite direction.

"True," said Damon with a hint of a smirk. "But I know a shortcut."

Jonas narrowed his eyes, but followed Damon. He went down the street and turned into an alley. Jonas was shocked to see Damon standing in front of a woman, compelling her.

Before Jonas could say anything, Damon sank his teeth into her neck.

"What the hell?" shouted Jonas, speeding forward and yanking the woman away from Damon. "What are you doing?"

"Ah, come on," smiled Damon. "Don't tell me you haven't had a taste of fresh blood yet?"

Jonas looked down at the woman's bleeding neck, clearly trying to retain his human features.

"She won't remember a thing," cajoled Damon.

"No," said Jonas, shoving the woman away.

But she didn't leave, she just stood there.

"Just a few sips won't hurt," said Damon. "I'll even heal her up afterwards."

Veins appeared underneath Jonas' eyes and his teeth began to elongate as he stared at the woman's neck.

"You need to relax, Jonas," continued Damon. "End of the world is tomorrow."

Damon lifted the hair from the woman's neck who continued to stare blankly into space.

Finally Jonas could take no more and sped forward, sinking his teeth into the woman's neck.

"There we go," smiled Damon approvingly. "So much better than a blood bag, right?"

Jonas didn't respond, just continued to feed. And feed and feed.

"Ugh, Jonas?" asked Damon, frowning. "She's young and healthy, but..."

Jonas pulled away and the woman dropped down. Jonas looked down and was horrified.

Damon knelt down and grimaced. "Yeah, she's dead."

"What have I done?" gasped Jonas, stumbling back. "What..."

Jonas disappeared.

"Sure," said Damon, sarcastically. "I'll take care of the body." He rolled his eyes. "No problem."

o – o – o

As soon as Damon, Luka and Jonas left, Thea quickly got to work repairing the handcuffs. She smiled when they snapped closed. She muttered another incantation and they snapped open. She performed the trick a few more times just to make sure she really was free.

"Neat," said Katherine sarcastically. "What are you going to do for your next trick? Pull a rabbit out of a hat?"

Thea narrowed her eyes. "You know, you'd think you'd be nice to me. Klaus' compulsion prevents you from hurting me, but it doesn't work the way around."

Katherine clenched her jaw, but managed a small smirk. "If you do that, you'll never get Elijah back."

"What are you talking about?" asked Thea.

Katherine's smirk just got bigger. "I'm the only one that can find Elijah."

Thea raised an eyebrow. "And you're just mentioning this now because...?"

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Information is power, Thea. And right now, you're the biggest power in town. Even Klaus can't match you. Yet. Guarantee me a ticket out of here, and I'll help you get your white knight back."

"How?" asked Thea, eyes narrowed.

"That's not how it works," said Katherine, shaking her head. "You pay to play... Freedom first, then Elijah."

Thea hesitated, her anger at Katherine's earlier actions weighing against her desire to find Elijah.

"I'm not an idiot," said Katherine, crossing her arms. "With enough power, it's possible to undo compulsion with magic. You can make it so I can leave here without Klaus' permission."

Thea clenched her jaw. "Fine. You have a deal."

Katherine opened her mouth to reply, but closed it immediately.

"Someone's coming." She paused. "It's him."

o – o – o

Thea ran to the couch and situated her hands in her lap, while Katherine sped to the counter, taking a somber seat at one of the stools.

When Alaric came through the door, Thea tried to calm her beating heart. Not that it mattered. Alaric's human body couldn't hear her heartbeat any more than it could compel her.

"What have you two been up to?" asked Alaric, eyes narrowed, looking suspiciously around for anything out of place.

"Just sitting around," said Thea, rolling her eyes, trying to act like the reluctant prisoner. "What have you been up to?"

"Your friends are annoyingly persistent," he growled.

"Do you want a drink?" asked Katherine, trying to distract him.

Alaric turned to face her. "No, Katerina, I don't want a drink."

"Come on," said Katherine, smiling with a bourbon bottle in hand. "It might loosen you up."

Alaric grabbed the bottle and threw it against the wall. Thea jumped. He grabbed Katherine and looked her in the eye.

"What I want," he compelled her. "Is for you to sit down and shut up."

Thea tensed, knowing with the vervain in her system, Katherine couldn't be compelled. It was all down to her acting abilities. Hopefully, her 500 years of hiding had been enough practice to fool him.

Katherine clenched her jaw, but demurely sat down on the stool once again.

At that moment the door opened and Maddox came through.

"Maddox, what took you so long?" asked Alaric, looking annoyed.

"You've got a lot of luggage," answered Maddox.

Thea just rolled her eyes as she watched a parade of minions come in with an assortment of bags.

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw Greta walk through the door. Greta didn't even notice her, only having eyes for Klaus, even if he was in a different body.

"Greta," said Alaric, smiling at her. "Finally."

"Hello, love," she said, returning his smile with an adoring one of her own.

"Hello."

Greta looked him up and down. "Nice body. You ready to get out of it?"

Alaric just smiled back. "Mm-mmm."

Greta's eyes finally flitted to something other than Alaric and Thea heard the sharp intake of breath when Greta finally noticed her sitting on the couch.

"What is she doing here?" Greta asked Alaric.

Thea felt anger flare through her. After two years of no contact, countless nights of worry, Jonas giving up his practice and Luka being put in a dozen different schools while Jonas fruitlessly searched for her, Thea wasn't going to let Greta's rudeness slide.

"I'm here to rescue you," Thea said sarcastically, standing up and rattling her chains for effect. "Hi, by the way. Good to see you, little sister."

Greta's face turned to anger. "I told you to leave this place. I don't need to be rescued."

"Well we Martins are a stubborn bunch," said Thea, cocking her head. "It's even worse now that Dad's been turned."

Greta gasped. "What?"

"Yeah, your boyfriend's minions didn't tell you?" asked Thea, looking at Alaric/Klaus with anger. "He got caught up in the fight for the moonstone."

"Katherine was the one who killed your father," said Alaric, angrily. "Or did you forget that?"

"Only because she was terrified of you," said Thea, almost believing it.

She hated Katherine for turning her father, but it's not like Klaus or Greta didn't have a part in it. She was just angry at Greta's rejection of their family and yelling at both of them was a convenient release.

Alaric's eyes flitted back and forth between Thea and Katherine. "Did you two bond in my absence today?"

Thea rolled her eyes. "Did you bring me anything to eat? I'm starving."

Alaric tilted his head towards one of the minions, who brought her a bag of food.

"What about me?" asked Katherine.

Alaric just ignored her.

"Now, love," he turned to Greta. "I'll need you to play nicely with your sister until tomorrow night."

"And then what?" asked Greta, looking at Thea.

Alaric shrugged. "Then we leave this sad, little town."

Greta looked haughtily at Thea and proceeded to ignore her while the minions brought in Klaus' real body.

o – o – o

Later that night, Thea just watched while Greta and Maddox put Klaus back into his own body. It took every ounce of restraint she had to do nothing. It would be so easy to disrupt the spell. But Klaus' body was still indestructible, whether his soul inhabited it or not and she knew she needed to wait.

Alaric stood next to the box where Klaus' body was. Thea knew the spell had worked when Alaric tensed and looked up.

He stared at Katherine, who was standing behind Maddox and Greta.

"Elena?" he whispered before collapsing to the floor.

Thea winced as he hit the ground hard. She forced herself to stay calm while Maddox rose and opened the box to reveal Klaus.

He smirked as he stepped into the apartment, looking down at the body he'd inhabited for the past few days.

"Now that's more like it," he said, glancing at Katherine briefly before his eyes fell on Thea.

She just fixed him with an unfriendly glance.

"Don't be so glum, love," he said, suddenly crouching in front of her. "Tell you what. I won't even kill the teacher."

"What do you want us to do with him?" asked Maddox.

"Take him back to the hotel," said Klaus. "Get someone to compel his memories away."

"You're not coming?" asked Greta, looking at Klaus and Thea with a frown.

"I need to make sure your big sister doesn't cause any trouble," answered Klaus, raising an eyebrow at Thea. "Send one of the donors up. I'm feeling peckish."

"I can put up a boundary," argued Greta. "You don't have to stay..."

Klaus snapped his head around. "Did I bloody stutter, Greta?"

Greta's face fell and she looked at Thea angrily before she grabbed her purse and left the apartment, followed closely by Maddox who used magic to drag Alaric with him.

"Would it kill you to be nice to her?" asked Thea, frowning.

Klaus chuckled. "She's ready to quite literally throw you to the wolves and you still defend her."

"She's my sister," said Thea. "I don't stab my siblings in the back."

Klaus' face darkened at her words. "I have done many deplorable deeds in my time, love, but never have I sought to end my family's existence permanently. Elijah is the only one who gets that honor."

Thea narrowed her eyes. "Cloaking them and dumping them in the ocean is pretty much the same thing, isn't it?"

Klaus' smirk fell. "He told you."

"Yeah," said Thea. "So don't you dare get all high and mighty, Klaus. He just wanted revenge because you took everything from him."

Klaus had the good sense to look slightly guilty before he masked his features once again.

"My, my, such a stalwart defender," said Klaus. "Are you sure my brother truly deserves your affection?"

"Elijah is a good man," said Thea, defensively.

Klaus looked angry. "I could tell you tales of Elijah's past that would make your skin crawl. He is far from the noble brother you think him to be."

"You're lying," said Thea in a low voice.

"If he's so noble, why did he send you to do his dirty work?" challenged Klaus.

"That was my choice," said Thea, icily. "I told you before. Any true servant of nature is duty-bound to stop you."

Klaus smirked. "Funny... You speak of duty and obligation. The Thea I remember did what she wanted, despite what others expected."

Thea swallowed. "Maybe I've changed."

Klaus glowered at her, getting right in her face. "Tomorrow, I will break my curse and sire myself a new line. Perhaps once I've built my army, you'll re-think your loyalty."

It took everything in her not to spit out the truth into his face, just to upset him. He was going to die, she was going to find and raise Elijah and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Instead, she said the second-best thing.

"I will never serve you," said Thea.

Klaus growled, leaning ever closer. "You forget how much I like a challenge, Thea Martin."

 **A/N: Klaus is here (for realz now)! Let me know what you thought- Kat/Thea frenemy allies, Jonas having bloodlust issues and Klaus/Thea interactions, plus ugh, Greta. I'm def missing Elijah though- think Kat will hold up her end of the bargain or will it be too late?**


	13. The Last Day

"Where is Jonas?" asked Stefan, frowning at Luka.

"I don't know," said Luka, looking at his cell phone. "He's not answering his phone." Luka looked at Damon. "I thought you two were going to go to the hospital together to get some blood?"

Damon shrugged. "We got separated."

Stefan narrowed his eyes. "What happened, Damon?"

Damon looked at Elena who was sitting on the couch, looking at the Salvatore brothers with a worried glance.

Damon didn't want to tell everyone the truth- that he had tempted Jonas into feeding from a live human and that Jonas had lost control and killed her. Elena hated it when Damon did stuff like that.

"Nothing," Damon lied. "We went to the hospital and he said he wanted to drop the blood off at home."

"It's fine," said Luka. "I should be able to do the spell without Dad."

"Oh no," said Damon. "I'm not trusting Elena's life to an amateur. If Papa Witch can't be here, we'll just go back to Alaric's and get Thea to do it."

"We can't blow her cover, Damon," said Elena. "Klaus has to believe those anti-magic cuffs are still in effect. I have faith in Luka. He can do the spell."

Luka smiled at Elena.

"Have you ever done this spell before?" asked Stefan.

"Not this exact one," Luka admitted. "But I've done similar ones."

"How will we know it worked?" asked Damon.

Luka looked uncomfortable.

"We'll know when I wake up tomorrow after the sacrifice," said Elena. She stood up. "I trust you, Luka. What do you need from me?"

Damon looked unhappy, but Elena just glared at him.

"We're doing this my way, remember Damon?" she pressed.

"What if it doesn't work, Elena?" asked Damon.

"Then I guess I'll just be dead," she responded. "We don't have a choice."

Damon looked furious and turned to Luka. "If she doesn't wake up than neither do you."

o – o – o

The smell of fresh coffee and donuts roused Thea from sleep. She sat up on the couch she'd slept on and rubbed her eyes, annoyed at the feeling of the chains still encircling her wrists.

"Did you know you drool when you sleep?" drawled Katherine. "It's gross."

Thea narrowed her eyes. "Fuck you, Katherine."

"I thought I told you to keep your opinions to yourself, Katerina," said Klaus, sipping on a cup of coffee.

Katherine rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything.

Thea eyed the coffee and donuts sitting on the kitchen island.

"Help yourself, Thea," said Klaus, smiling.

"You're in a good mood," said Thea, getting up and walking over to the island.

"Tonight is the sacrifice," smirked Klaus. "Tonight I unbind my werewolf side and become whole again."

His wistful tone brought Thea back to times spent in his house in Austin. Back when she believed his sole reason for wanting the curse broken was to get in touch with his werewolf side, not build some master hybrid race. Before she knew what he'd done to his family.

"Congratulations," she said sarcastically. "Are you going to strip me of my power before or after that?"

Klaus frowned. "What?"

Thea had thought a lot about it the night before. The coldness in Greta's eyes told her that Klaus hadn't spared Thea on Greta's behalf. The only reason he must be keeping her alive was to take the power she was channeling.

The chance to wield the power of a hundred dead witches wasn't something that came along every day. Thea wondered if Klaus planned to give it to Greta or Maddox.

"You heard me," said Thea. "I know the only reason you're keeping me alive is to get it. What's the hold-up? Does Greta not know how to take it? Those type of spells generally aren't her strong suit."

Klaus growled. "You really do think the worst of me, don't you?"

Thea shrugged. "You're killing three innocent people in order to sire some werewolf-vampire army, who in turn will kill more people. Not to mention the fact that you've effectively killed your entire family. What exactly am I supposed to think?"

Thea must have imagine the look of hurt that crossed Klaus' features, before his face turned into a snarl.

"I'm not interested in your power," he growled. "Stop making your demise so appealing. No one here cares if you live. Greta certainly isn't interested in your well-being, so don't expect her to come to your aid."

Thea tried to school her features, but what Klaus said hurt, as he'd intended. Her own sister didn't give a shit about her or her family.

"Fuck you, Klaus," said Thea. "At least I didn't turn my back on my own family. If you kill me, I'll know I did everything I could to protect them."

The doorbell interrupted whatever he was going to say next.

"What?" he snarled.

Maddox stepped into the apartment, albeit rather cautiously.

"It's done," was all he said.

"Good," nodded Klaus. "Fetch Greta. Secure Tyler and Caroline at the tomb. Guard them well. You know when to bring them for the ritual."

Thea's jaw dropped. "You son of a bitch. Those are kids!"

Klaus looked at her boredly. "Quiet or I'll be forced to gag you."

"Come on, Klaus," said Thea, looking at him. "They're just kids. Don't do this."

Klaus looked angry. "Your opinion ceased to matter when you left me." He turned to Katherine. "Get her out of my sight."

Katherine didn't hesitate to grab Thea and speed her into the bedroom. Thea sat on the bed miserably, thinking of Elijah. She didn't dare talk about him to Katherine with Klaus in the next room, but she missed him, his comforting presence. They had to get him back. And soon.

She was more tempted than ever to rip these cuffs off and take down Klaus now, but Jonas' words stopped her, knowing he'd be crushed if she died to kill Klaus. Knowing Greta would try to seek revenge and her whole family would tear themselves apart.

There had to be another way. There were hours until the sacrifice happened. She'd think of something.

o – o – o

"Hello?" called Alaric. "Anyone home?"

Damon appeared in the doorway of the Boarding House.

"What's up, Ric?"

"The sacrifice happens tonight," said Alaric, eyes going blank, almost as if he was in a trance.

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Okay."

Alaric shook his head, looking confused. "Damon? What's going on? What am I doing here?"

Damon tilted his head, wondering if this was a trick or if Klaus had really released his hold on Alaric's body.

"What do you remember?" asked Damon.

Alaric frowned. "I was at my apartment and then I was here."

Damon realized Klaus must have compelled Alaric to not remember the gaps in his memory. It made sense. Klaus didn't want anyone to know he'd been at the driver's seat in Alaric's body for the past few days. Still, it could be a trick.

"Maybe you should lay off the bourbon," said Damon. "Remember how we met? You got trashed at the bar and I had to drive you home."

Alaric frowned. "We met at the Decade Dance, Damon. Or have you forgotten that?"

Damon smiled widely. "Welcome back, Ric."

Alaric was confused. "Back? Did I go somewhere?"

Damon sighed. "Come in. I can explain."

o – o – o

"So my body's been a Klaus puppet for the past three days?" asked Alaric, after Stefan had explained everything.

"That's right," said Stefan. "Thea is at your apartment, which I'm assuming you've been compelled to avoid. She's technically free, but isn't going to go after Klaus until after the sacrifice."

"Katherine's there too," added Elena. "She's been compelled to make sure she and Thea don't leave. Luka did a protection spell, so I'm ready for tonight."

"And Elijah?" asked Alaric.

"Daggered by Klaus," said Stefan.

"Where is Damon?" asked Alaric, looking around.

"I think he went upstairs," answered Stefan.

Elena rose from her seat. "I'm going to go check on him."

She left the room.

"What's going on?" asked Alaric after a minute. "There's something you're not telling me."

Stefan sighed. "It's this protection spell. Damon doesn't think it'll work."

"Do you?"

Stefan ran his hand through his hair. "Doesn't matter what I think."

"Couldn't Thea do the spell?" asked Alaric. "Would Damon trust her?"

"I'm not sure he trusts anyone right now," answered Stefan. "I..." He paused, listening to something. "Damnit."

He disappeared.

Alaric blinked. "What the hell?"

He heard a crash from above and ran up the stairs. He grimaced when he saw Damon stab Stefan in the stomach.

"What did you do, Damon?" asked Alaric.

Damon just growled at him and sped away.

"Alaric," gasped Elena. "Can you get him a blood bag?"

Alaric looked down and saw that Elena had pulled the wooden stake out of Stefan's stomach, but the wound was still bleeding.

He nodded numbly. "Of course."

"Thank you," said Elena.

Alaric looked into her face and gasped. "What happened to you?"

"Damon," answered Elena sadly. "He force fed me his blood."

Alaric looked shocked. "Will that matter with the protection spell?"

"I don't know," said Elena, crying softly. "Please, the blood bag."

Alaric nodded and left the room, heading to the basement to get Stefan some blood.

o – o – o

Katherine's head tilted back. "I'm bored."

"Join the club," sighed Thea, flopping back on the bed. "Is the asshole gone?"

Katherine paused, listening. "Yeah. Just you and me."

"Tell me how to find Elijah."

Katherine shook her head. "Remove my compulsion first. I need to be able to leave this apartment."

Thea looked critically at her. "You know this is going to hurt, right? Like a lot."

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "You think I haven't been through worse?"

"I don't know, Katherine, have you?"

"Just do it," said Katherine, sitting down on the bed.

"Fine," said Thea. "But if you try to run, I'll kill you."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "We have a deal."

"Please," said Thea. "You think I trust you for a second to honor it?"

"Don't think you're the only one that cares about Elijah," growled Katherine.

Thea frowned. "How do you know Elijah?"

"It doesn't matter," said Katherine dismissively.

Thea tried to suppress the green-eyed-monster that threatened to spring forth, thinking about exactly how Katherine could know Elijah.

"Fine," said Thea, reaching up her hand to rest on Katherine's forehead. "Brace yourself."

o – o – o

"I screwed up," said Damon, as Alaric joined him at the bar.

"Yeah," said Alaric. "Yeah you did."

"Gentlemen?" came a lightly accented voice. "Why so glum?"

Damon turned his head to see a man standing there.

"Ugh," said Damon, realizing who the stranger must be. "Klaus, I presume?"

"In the flesh," he replied, grinning.

"Any reason you stopped by to say hi?" asked Damon. "We got your message. Sacrifice is tonight."

"Good," said Klaus, looking darkly at Alaric. "I'm told you and your brother fancy my doppelganger. Just thought I'd remind you not to do anything you'll regret."

Damon laughed bitterly. "Thanks for your advice." Then he had an idea. "I don't suppose I could talk you into a postponement by any chance, huh?"

Klaus frowned. "You are kidding?" He looked at Alaric. "He is kidding, right?"

"No, not really," answered Alaric.

"I mean, come on," pushed Damon. "What's one month in the whole grand scheme of things?"

"Let me be clear," said Klaus. "I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight. So if you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up."

Then he left.

Damon exhaled heavily. It was worth a shot.

"That was fun," said Damon sarcastically.

"You're gonna screw it up, aren't you?" asked Alaric.

Damon sighed. "If Klaus is here, then he's not at your place."

Alaric frowned. "What are you thinking? Thea?"

Damon just pushed away from the bar. "Well, are you going to help me or not?"

Alaric sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

o – o – o

"What are you doing here, Damon?" asked Thea.

Damon smiled and strode into the apartment. "Thanks for the invite, Alaric." He looked at Katherine. "What'd you do to her?"

Katherine was on the floor, sweaty and panting.

"None of your business," said Thea. "Answer the question. What are you doing here? Klaus could be back at any time."

"I need your help," said Damon. "I need you to do a protection spell on Elena."

Thea frowned. "Didn't Luka already do that?"

"I refuse to leave Elena's life in the hands of an amateur," said Damon.

Thea rolled her eyes. "My dad knows what he's doing, Damon. Elena's going to be fine."

"Yeah, except your dad is MIA, so Luka did the spell without his help."

Thea frowned. It wasn't ideal, but it was probably fine. Luka was a good witch. He didn't have a ton of experience with protection spells, but they weren't difficult. Of course, the sacrifice ritual was no ordinary way to die.

"Where is my dad?"

"I don't know," said Damon in an exasperated tone. "That's not the point. I need you to do one."

Thea frowned. "I can't just do another one, Damon. You can't stack spells on top of each other. They're not Kevlar vests. They could counteract one another if I'm not careful."

"Then we have to stop the ritual," said Damon.

"No," said Katherine, getting up. "You can't interfere. Klaus will kill you and everyone you've ever met."

"I just need to delay this thing," said Damon. "Make sure the protection spell works." He looked at Thea. "I need to know where Klaus is keeping his werewolf."

Thea's eyes lit up. Maybe this was a good thing. A way to keep Caroline and Tyler from being sacrificed. She could reason with Klaus. With another month, they could find some lowlife vampire and werewolf.

"I'll tell you where they are, if you promise to help them escape," said Thea. "Not kill them."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood are in the tomb," said Thea.

Katherine shot her a nasty look.

Damon smiled. "Thanks."

He nodded at Alaric who was still in the doorway and they disappeared.

"You know he probably has back-ups," said Katherine.

Thea sighed. "Probably. But maybe they're not a couple of teenagers."

"Whatever," said Katherine, rolling her eyes. "Let's finish this."

Thea cocked her head. "In a minute."

"What?" snarled Katherine.

"We're almost done," said Thea. "But I'm not letting you go until I know Klaus isn't coming back here. He can't know I'm free until he goes to the ritual site."

Katherine growled and tried to pounce on her, but Klaus' compulsion kept her from completing the act.

"I don't like you," spat Katherine.

"Feeling's mutual."

o – o – o

Thea watched with mixed feelings as Klaus compelled Katherine to stand in the sunlight without her bracelet. Thea obviously didn't want Katherine to die before she could tell Thea where Elijah was, but she wasn't sure what to do if Klaus took it too far.

Thea winced when Katherine outright screamed as her skin burned, but didn't say anything. She didn't want Klaus to get suspicious.

Klaus casually sipped some coffee before he tilted his head. "That's enough."

Katherine immediately sped to the corner of the room, crouching to catch her breath.

"Guess I was wrong," he said, stalking towards Katherine. "Alright then. I need you to do something for me."

"What?" asked Katherine, looking up at him.

"Had a slight run-in with the elder Salvatore," said Klaus. "I don't trust him to refrain from doing something stupid. I'm going to need you to do your Elena impersonation."

"Why?" frowned Thea.

Klaus spun around. "I have a back-up werewolf. I'd like a back-up vampire." He tossed Katherine a phone. "Call the Gilbert House and lure whoever answers out of the house."

Thea gasped. "No! What is wrong with you? Those people are innocent. There are thousands of vampires crawling around the planet. People who've had their chance to live a bunch of lifetimes."

"I need someone for tonight, love."

"Don't do this, Klaus," said Thea. "You're better than this. I know it."

Klaus' gaze softened for a second and she moved forward, taking advantage of his momentary silence.

"Where's the guy I looked at the stars with? The one who could have had me killed, but didn't? Don't destroy innocence just to make yourself whole again."

Klaus tilted his head. "Suppose I gave in to your pleas... I have a rather nasty werewolf in my possession. I believe he tried to kill you once- Brady? If I were to find an equally ruthless vampire, would you agree to serve in my inner circle once again?"

Thea's gaze hardened. "Greta will never go for that."

"Greta's feelings are not relevant here," answered Klaus. "I have a large task ahead of me and I could use someone with your skills. Not to mention the power you're channeling."

Thea clenched her teeth, figuring it didn't really matter anyway. He would be dead soon. There was no downside to agreeing.

"Fine," said Thea.

Klaus smiled widely. "Excellent." He turned to Katherine. "I do apologize, Katerina."

Then he sped forward and snapped her neck.

Thea could barely breathe. "You're not... you..."

"I had hoped to keep her alive for longer," said Klaus with a regretful tone. "But it's quite poetic that she die in the sacrifice she tried to escape all those years ago."

Klaus reached over and grabbed Thea's chains.

"What are you doing?" asked Thea.

"You need to stay put until after the ritual is complete," said Klaus.

He took the chain attached to her wrists and used another set of handcuffs to tie her to an exposed pipe in the corner.

"I won't be gone long," he said. "I need to fetch Elena."

Thea looked at him coldly, but didn't reply, knowing she would be escaping as soon as he left for the ritual site later tonight.

She tried to control her pounding heart, looking down at Katherine's lifeless body. If Katherine died, how would she ever find Elijah?

o – o – o

After Klaus left with Katherine, Thea sat on the floor, not daring to remove the cuffs for fear of when he or one of his minions would return.

Klaus came back first. He stormed in and headed straight for the table.

"Where's Maddox?" he asked. "He should be back by now."

Thea shrugged. "No one's been here since you took Katherine. Where is she? Where's Elena?"

"They're both with Greta," he replied, looking at the computer screen.

Thea craned her head to look at the computer, curious what he was looking at. She watched as Brady writhed on the ground, chained up. She didn't feel bad about that. Brady and his pack had tried to kill her, Alaric, Elena and Stefan.

"It's almost time," said Klaus, looking over at her.

Thea looked out the window. "The moon is rising."

Thea sighed, remembering how she'd helped him once upon a time. How they'd brainstormed and planned for this moment together. Before she found out his true intentions and he'd stolen her sister to buy her silence.

"I thought he'd be by my side this night," said Klaus, softly.

Thea frowned. "Who? Elijah?"

He didn't respond.

"Where is he, Klaus? Are you going to dump him in the ocean too?"

Thea thought her heart might break if he said yes.

"How long did you know him?" asked Klaus. "A few weeks? What is it about my brother that inspires such instant admiration?"

"He's honest and loyal and he cares about others."

Klaus growled. "He came here to kill me."

"Because you left him no choice," said Thea. "You killed your own family. His family. Maybe you don't understand what it means to love someone that much, but..."

Klaus snarled and leapt up, speeding over to her and grabbing her roughly by the shoulders.

"Don't you dare speak of love and loyalty!" he shouted angrily. "I trusted you. Favored you above all others. And you plotted with my brother to try and kill me!"

"You lied to me!" said Thea, trying to shake off Klaus' grip. "I bought your woe-is-me lonely suppressed werewolf bullshit. If I had known you were a megalomaniac intent on global domination who'd slaughtered his own family, I never would have stepped foot in your house!"

"I didn't kill them!" he growled, his vampire facing showing.

"Yes, you did!" she shouted back. "Dumping them in the ocean..."

"I didn't!" he repeated, looking more furious than she'd ever seen him. "Their bodies are safe!"

Thea gasped. "What?"

Klaus blinked, clearly trying to control his rage. "They are daggered, but not on the bottom of the ocean."

"Where are they?" asked Thea. "Where is Elijah?"

Klaus didn't respond, but released his hold on her.

"Why would you lie about that?" asked Thea, confused. "Are you lying now?"

"It was years go," he said quietly. "I needed to be parted from Elijah. I needed... I knew it was the only way he would distance himself."

"Why?"

Klaus opened his mouth, looking sad, but as if he wanted to answer before he abruptly shut his mouth.

"Enough," he said, his features in a neutral expression. "Twenty questions is over."

Thea rolled her eyes. It's not like he'd really answered anything.

Klaus looked out the window. "The moon is nearly at its apex. I do apologize, but I'll need you to stay put for now. No doubt Maddox is at the ritual site."

He left her chained in the corner, closing the door softly behind him.

Thea just stood there, shocked, not sure what to think. Elijah's family was alive. Klaus hadn't destroyed them and he would keep Elijah safe, too.

She looked down and called forth her magic, smiling as she felt it fill her being once again. The cuffs flew off her wrists.

She'd just made it to the apartment door when it flew open, with Damon on the other side.

"Where is he?" asked Damon. "I rescued Tyler and Caroline. I killed the witch guarding them."

"Maddox is dead?" asked Thea.

Damon shrugged. "Wouldn't let them go without a fight."

Thea pushed that unhappy thought away for now.

"Where is Klaus?" he asked.

"He left, Damon," said Thea. "He went to the ritual site. He has back-ups for everyone in the ritual except Elena."

"What?" exclaimed Damon. "No, we have to stop him."

"We have to wait, Damon," said Thea. "That was the deal."

"The deal's off," snarled Damon. "Your father guaranteed the protection spell would work, but when it came time to deliver he was nowhere to be found. No one's heard from him all day."

Thea frowned. "I don't understand. Nothing was more important to him than being here. Killing Klaus for what he did. I wonder..." She had a chilling thought. "Maybe he's dead."

"It doesn't matter," said Damon. "He's gone and we need to stop Klaus before the ritual, in case the spell doesn't work."

Thea frowned. "It'll work. I'm not sacrificing myself on a maybe. If Dad's gone, then Luka has no one."

Damon grabbed her arm angrily. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

Thea threw him back and pinned him to the opposite wall. He struggled, but was no match for her enhanced power.

"Your concern for my well-being is touching," she said, sarcastically. "Now you either get on board with the original plan or I throw up a boundary and you can cool your heels in this apartment."

Damon looked angry, but didn't argue. "Fine."

Thea released him.

"Where is this ritual site?" he asked.

"Near the quarry," answered Thea as they walked out the door.

"Who are the back-ups?" asked Damon. He looked around. "I'm guessing Katherine will no longer be with us?"

Thea sighed and nodded.

"At least one good thing will come out of this nightmare," said Damon, shaking his head. He looked at Thea. "You ready to do this?"

Thea hesitated. "Yes."

She followed Damon down the hallway, hating the mixed feelings churning through her. Klaus had told her the truth about his family. Had opened up to her, once again.

Sometimes when she looked in his eyes, he was like a lost, little puppy. What was it about him that made her feel so damn sorry for him? The tortured past Elijah had hinted at? The vulnerability he displayed when spoke of his lost werewolf side.

She mentally shook her head. She could do this. Remember the balance of nature. Remember Elijah, who Klaus would no doubt keep hidden somewhere for a long time.

Klaus would be dead by the end of the night. And he would fall by her hand.

 **A/N: Almost there... Let me know what you thought!**


	14. The Sun Also Rises

"How long do we have?" asked Damon, looking over at Thea.

They were driving to the ritual site.

"We have some time," said Thea, eyeing the sky. "The moon needs to be at a certain point for the ritual to happen. It can take place at any point after that until it sinks again, but I'm sure Klaus and Greta will want to do it as soon as possible."

Damon nodded.

Thea frowned, taking in Damon's slightly weary expression. "You okay? You look... more dead than normal."

"I'm fine," said Damon, straightening. "Let's just get there. I want to watch you kill the son of a bitch."

Thea nodded. "The sacrifice is completed in stages as the full moon sets. First Klaus will kill the werewolf, then the vampire, then the doppelganger. Once Elena is dead, however temporarily, the curse is broken and Klaus will become a true hybrid."

"Then Stefan will get Elena out of there and you'll fry his ass," smirked Damon.

"Yes," agreed Thea. "Breaking the curse activates his dormant werewolf side. He'll be forced to turn. Just this once. He'll be vulnerable during the transformation. It'll be tricky, but I should be able to undo the magic that keeps him alive."

"Should?" Damon repeated, frowning.

Thea shrugged. "Nothing like this has ever been attempted before. The spell that created vampires is ancient, powerful. Killing an original is supposed to be impossible."

"But with the power of a hundred dead witches..."

Thea nodded. "Let's hope it's enough."

She bit her lip, not wanting to share her uneasiness about the whole thing with Damon. Klaus was evil, but learning he hadn't actually killed his family had changed her feelings somewhat. She knew why- Elijah. He would never agree to kill Klaus if he knew that Klaus hadn't actually dumped his siblings in the ocean.

Which was the other problem. Klaus was planning to sacrifice Katherine as the vampire, but how could Thea let that happen, when Katherine was the only one who knew where Elijah was? Thea missed Elijah desperately. What would he do in her place?

o – o – o

"Where are we going?" asked Elena, trying not to stumble along the dark path.

"This way," said the small witch.

Elena frowned. "You're Thea's sister, Greta, aren't you? I heard about you. Your family is looking for you."

"They're wasting their time. I told them to leave."

Elena grimaced as she stumbled. "God, I can't see anything."

Greta abruptly stopped and casually waved her hand. Fire erupted from several places along the path and Elena tried not to startle. She saw that they were at the edge of the old quarry.

She was surprised to see a familiar face lying there.

"Katherine?"

Greta smiled. "She'll be the vampire that Klaus sacrifices tonight."

Katherine groaned. She tried to get up, but Greta raised her hand and Katherine screamed, grabbing her head in pain. Then Greta lifted her hand and a ring of fire encircled Katherine.

Katherine ran to the edge of the circle, but slammed into an invisible barrier.

"Let me out!" she demanded.

Greta ignored her and Elena felt herself being dragged back several feet. Elena could only watch as a ring of fire encircled her as well.

Katherine slammed into the barrier again. "Fuck!"

Elena rolled her eyes, not feeling the least bit sorry for her doppelganger. She had tried to kill practically everyone Elena cared about, more than once.

Greta walked away.

"Stupid bitch," growled Katherine, knocking against the barrier one last time. She looked over at Elena. "What are you so sad about? You're going to survive this."

"Maybe," said Elena. Her voice lowered. "At least I know he won't."

Katherine snarled. "Like I care." Her head lifted. "Someone's coming."

"Is it Klaus?"

Katherine listened. "I don't think so."

o – o – o

"Hey Stefan," said Thea, hopping out of the car. "Where's Luka?"

Stefan shrugged. "I haven't seen him."

"We don't need him," said Damon, slamming the passenger side door. "I can take care of the evil witch."

Thea huffed. "Greta may be shacking up with Klaus, but she's still my sister, Damon. I don't want you to 'take care of her'."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Seems like your brother doesn't agree."

"He'll be here," said Stefan, looking at her with kind, if nervous eyes.

"I know," said Thea, confidently. "Where's everyone else?"

"At home," said Stefan. "We all agreed it was best if it was just us tonight."

Thea breathed a sigh of relief, glad most of the Mystic Falls gang was sitting this one out. Looking out for Alaric, Bonnie and the rest of them would just be a distraction.

"Are you ready?" asked Stefan.

Thea nodded.

"Are you sure?" he pressed. "Because this whole plan is contingent on you."

Thea frowned. "What does that mean?"

"He has your sister and your boyfriend," drawled Damon. "Just keep your eyes on the prize."

"We'll find Elijah," snapped Thea. "Once Klaus is dead, Greta will have no choice. She can stay or go. It doesn't matter."

Stefan opened his mouth to say something, but just then another car pulled up. Thea breathed a sigh of relief when she realized in was Luka's.

"Finally," sighed Thea, grateful for the distraction from the Salvatores' narrowed gazes.

Luka smiled as he emerged from the car. "Look who I found."

Thea gasped when she saw Jonas get out of the passenger side.

"Dad?" She ran up to him. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I needed some time to think," grumbled Jonas.

His tone clearly conveyed his previous whereabouts weren't up for discussion.

Thea looked at Luka, who shrugged. He clearly didn't know where Jonas had been either.

Thea sighed. "Well you're here now. You can help Luka control Greta after the ritual." She turned to look at Luka. "You know what to do, right?"

Luka nodded. "I've been practicing the sleeping spell all day."

"Good." She hesitated. "Can I talk to you guys for a minute?" She threw a glance at the Salvatores. "In private?"

Jonas looked uncomfortable, but nodded along with Luka. The Salvatores just shrugged, figuring Thea was going to grill Jonas on where he had been.

"Don't be long," said Damon.

"The quarry is just over this hill, Damon," said Stefan. He looked up at the moon. "We still have time." Then he looked at Thea. "We'll be back in a few minutes. We should make a few stakes. Just in case."

Damon just growled angrily, but disappeared with Stefan.

Content they were alone, Thea quickly muttered a privacy spell so they wouldn't be overheard.

"Thea..." Jonas began.

"I'm not going to bug you or lecture you about where you were," said Thea. "I can't even imagine how hard this has been for you."

Jonas looked surprised, but tilted his head in gratitude.

"Just make sure if you're here, you're in control and able to help," she said.

"I'm fine," said Jonas. "And in control of my emotions."

Thea looked hard at him. "I hope so, because I have a huge favor to ask." She looked at Luka. "Of both of you."

o – o – o

"Thea," gasped Elena, watching Thea walk up to her and Katherine. "What are you doing here?"

Thea eyed Katherine. "We have unfinished business."

Katherine smirked. "Came to save your white knight?"

"Greta could see," said Elena, looking around the clearing nervously. "Where is Klaus?"

"Preparing," said Thea. "There are few things he needs to do to get ready for the ritual." Her eyes snapped to Katherine. "We don't have much time. Luka is distracting Greta. Where is Elijah?"

"Let me out and I'll tell you," said Katherine, crossing her arms.

"No, Thea," said Elena. "You can't trust her. She'd say anything to save herself."

"Shut up," snapped Katherine, looking at Elena with angry eyes before turning back to Thea. "Are you willing to risk never seeing him again?

Thea bit her lip, considering. It was a risk. There was no knowing if Katherine was even telling the truth. She closed her eyes, her mind filled with Elijah. What if she couldn't find him? What if she killed Klaus and he was left to rot somewhere, daggered forever?

"He's not far," said Katherine, pressing her further. "Klaus is keeping him close. You could have him back by tomorrow."

"Don't do this," urged Elena. "If you let her out, Klaus will know. All of this will be for nothing."

Katherine scoffed. "He'll just think I got some witch friend to let me out. He'll find some other vampire to sacrifice." She tilted her head, listening. "Your family's still talking, but won't be for long. Come on. Let me go. For Elijah."

Thea sighed, picturing Elijah's handsome face. "Fine. Be ready to go when I say. The barrier will only be down for a second."

"Thea, no," said Elena. "Don't."

Thea just ignored her and called forth her magic. Normally, disrupting a boundary spell took time, but with all the magic she was channeling, it wasn't difficult. She pressed her hands against the circle that encased Katherine and pushed her magic out, feeling the barrier fall down.

"Now," breathed Thea.

Katherine zoomed out of the circle. "Thanks."

"Where is Elijah?" demanded Thea.

A loud scream pierced the night.

"Oh god," hissed Thea, turning around to see if she could find the source of the scream.

When she turned back, Katherine was nothing but a blurry streak, running away at top speed.

o – o – o

"What are you doing here?" asked Greta, eyes narrowed at Luka and Jonas. "How did you find me?"

"You didn't cloak Elena," said Luka. He looked at the groaning man that Greta was pulling forward. "Who is he?"

"He's the werewolf," said Greta. "Brady something... Leave. Now."

"Don't do this, Greta," said Jonas. "Goddamnit I raised you better than this."

Greta scoffed. "You didn't raise me at all, Dad. Between your practice and your grimoire obsession, you were never around. So don't you lecture me on my choices! You don't have the right."

Jonas looked angry. "I'm your father! Your loyalty should be to your family. To the witches. Not to some megalomaniac intent on building some freakshow army!"

Greta looked furious. "Don't you dare talk about Klaus like that! He showed me things you never did. He listens to me. He cares about me."

"He's using you!" growled Jonas. "He manipulated you to buy Thea's silence. To ensure she wouldn't betray his secrets."

"What?"

"Thea used to work for him," said Luka, looking at Greta with pity. "Before you did. She quit when she found out what he really wanted."

"You're lying!" accused Greta. "You just want me to leave. Turn against him."

"It's the truth!" shouted Jonas, clearly trying to control his anger. "He's using you. You were never his first choice."

"Shut up!" shouted Greta. "Shut up!"

She held up her hand and Jonas groaned, holding his hands to his head, in obvious pain.

"Stop it, Greta!" exclaimed Luka. "You're hurting him!"

"I don't care," said Greta. "Get out of here! I warned you!"

Luka ran over to Greta and shook her. It was enough to break her concentration and release Jonas from the spell.

Luka looked over to Jonas and had never seen his father so angry.

"I'd rather see you dead than a traitor to your own family!" shouted Jonas.

Then he stormed forward, circling Greta's throat. Her scream was abruptly cut off when Jonas pressed tighter.

"Dad!" exclaimed Luka. "Stop!"

He lifted his hand and pushed his magic out, giving Jonas a decent-sized aneurysm. Jonas immediately dropped Greta.

Greta pushed him away and raised her hand, quickly snapping his neck. She turned her cold eyes to Luka.

"Get out of here," she snarled. "You're lucky I don't kill you both."

She picked up the groaning werewolf and started walking towards the clearing. Luka hoped that Thea had spoken to Katherine and was gone.

He looked down at his father's body and sighed before dragging him away, slowly making his way back to where they'd all parked their cars.

o – o – o

Damon frowned as he used the knife to fasten a makeshift stake.

"Why are we making these again?" he asked Stefan. "Klaus can't be killed using these."

Stefan sighed. "We don't know if he has any extra people running around tonight. He knows he'll be vulnerable after the ritual."

Damon nodded. "I wouldn't put it past him to have more minions lurking. I-"

His next sentence was cut off by a loud scream in the direction of the clearing. He moved without thinking, but when he covered the distance in an instant, he was shocked to see Katherine sprinting away from the clearing.

He saw Stefan move in front of her, using the element of surprise to stop her for a second.

"Katherine."

Damon looked up and saw Thea looking angry, running towards them. She held out her hand and Katherine flew back a hundred feet, landing at Thea's feet.

"Where is Elijah?" Thea demanded. "Tell me now!"

Katherine moaned. It was obvious Thea was doing something to inflict pain.

"There's a warehouse," said Katherine, gasping. "Corner of Blake and Turner."

Thea smiled. "Thank you."

"Let me go," said Katherine.

Thea narrowed her eyes. "You tried to run. You broke the deal." It was clear she was furious. "Get back in your cage!"

She held her hand up and Katherine flew back into the circle of fire.

"No!" screamed Katherine, banging on the barrier.

Thea just stomped away. She quickly covered the distance between her and the Salvatores.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Damon. "Why didn't you let her go? We could have postponed the ritual."

Thea looked at him with furious eyes. "I told you before that wasn't my goal. She tried to betray me. I don't owe her a goddamn thing. She killed my father." She looked from Damon to Stefan. "Let's go. Klaus will probably be here soon."

Damon looked at Stefan with an angry expression, but Stefan just shook his head and followed Thea. Soon the three of them were back in the woods, out of sight.

o – o – o

"How did it go?" asked Luka, looking up to see Thea, Stefan and Damon walking up to the area where they'd parked their cars.

Thea smiled. "Got the location." She looked down at Luka's feet where Jonas was lying. "What happened to him?"

Luka sighed. "He and Greta didn't see eye to eye." He paused. "He kind of attacked Greta."

Thea's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"I don't think he meant it," said Luka quickly. "She's still alive."

Thea nodded. "He would never kill anyone."

Damon scoffed softly.

Thea whipped around. "You have a comment, Damon?"

"Nope," he responded.

Thea narrowed her eyes. "Tell the truth."

She started to raise her hand.

"Hey!" exclaimed Damon, holding up his hands. "We're on the same side remember."

Thea breathed deep, trying to control her anger. "Spill, Damon. Now!"

There must have been something in her eyes that compelled him because the next second he was telling them all about his and Jonas' encounter in the alley, how he'd tried to get Jonas to drink some fresh blood, but that Jonas had lost control and ended up killing the girl.

"What is wrong with you, Damon?" asked Stefan, exasperated.

"I was just trying to get the old man to loosen up," shrugged Damon. "I didn't think he'd bleed her dry."

"You know how new vampires can be," grumbled Stefan. "How we both were."

Damon rolled his eyes. "You're the one with control issues, Brother, not me."

"Just shut up!" exclaimed Thea. "Both of you." She glared at Damon. "I can't even look at you! No wonder he took off! We're lucky he didn't watch the sunrise without his daylight ring."

"I should have," came Jonas' low voice.

"Dad!" exclaimed Luka, helping Jonas up.

"It's fine," said Thea. "It happens to every vampire." She gave Damon an unfriendly glance. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

Jonas sighed. "I can't do this, Thea. I came back for Greta."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "How'd that work out for you?"

Jonas growled. "She's lost to us. I think she's in love with that monster."

Thea sighed and rubbed her head. "We can't think about that right now. We have to concentrate." She turned to Jonas. "I need another favor, Dad."

She quickly told him about her encounter with Katherine and that she knew where Elijah was.

"Can you go undagger him?" asked Thea. "He'll need some blood."

Jonas looked like he was going to argue, but Thea put a hand on his arm. "This isn't the place for you. You're a new vampire and Greta is..." she trailed off.

Jonas was silent for a few seconds, but then he nodded. "Do what you can. Kill him, Thea. If we can't get her back, at least we can get revenge."

Thea nodded and watched as he took off in vampire speed into the woods.

o – o – o

Thea winced as she watched Klaus rip Brady's heart out from the cover of the trees that were beside the clearing where the ritual was taking place.

"Ouch," drawled Damon, who was standing beside her. "That had to hurt."

"Show a little respect, Damon," said Stefan, shaking his head. He looked over at Thea. "Are you sure he can't see us?"

Thea looked back at Stefan, happy to have something else to focus on than Klaus sacrificing three people.

"None of the witches I knew could do this," said Stefan, looking around at the small circle Thea had drawn on the ground to indicate where they were safe from prying eyes.

Thea tilted her head. "That's because I've cast several spells at once. A privacy spell, a glamour, a confounding spell... Normally doing one would take a witch's full power.

"But since you're super witch, it's no problem," smirked Damon. "Pretty useful, all that power. Imagine the party tricks."

Thea smiled a little, but Stefan just frowned.

"It can't be healthy," said Stefan. "Channeling all that power."

Thea sighed. "Nature has a way of finding a balance."

"What kind of balance?" pressed Stefan.

"I can't keep it forever," said Thea. "And I have to be careful about how I use it. It could kill me... or worse."

Damon frowned. "What's worse?"

Thea bit her lip.

"Witches have gone crazy by channeling too much power," supplied Luka. "Or they get too... strong."

Damon smirked. "Power corrupts."

"I've been fine so far," said Thea, shrugging.

"Like when you tossed Katherine back in the ring of fire without a second glance?" asked Stefan.

Thea looked at him. "You think she didn't deserve it?"

Stefan didn't reply, just looked out on the ritual site.

"She's about to get what she deserves," said Damon.

They all watched as the ring of fire around Katherine was lowered. She tried to run, but Klaus caught her easily. He whispered something in her ear before taking a wooden stake and shoving it into her heart.

No one said a word as Katherine turned gray and veiny, slumped on the ground. Thea turned away, unable to watch anymore. Had she made the right choice?

She looked at Stefan, who stood there, frozen on the spot, staring at the ritual site. Then he closed his eyes and turned around.

"I can't watch this."

Thea looked on and saw that Klaus had set his sights on Elena. She kept a close on the Salvatore brothers, watching to see if either would try to intervene, despite the fact that Elena herself had asked them not to.

She needn't have worried. Though both were obviously agitated, they didn't interfere as Klaus drained Elena and dropped her to the ground.

Thea watched as Greta completed the ritual and she turned to Luka, Damon and Stefan.

"It's time."

o – o – o

Luka followed Thea and the Salvatores as they made their way towards the ritual site. The fires were nearly out now, all the victims sacrificed.

Luka cringed when he saw Katherine and Brady lying dead. Stefan and Damon immediately crouched next to Elena's body and Luka turned his attention to Greta.

He lifted his hand and started muttering the words to the sleeping spell. He came at Greta from behind, while his sister was distracted with watching Klaus walk away, starting to turn into a wolf.

He could see Thea out of the corner of his eye and heard Klaus' pained scream as Thea started to use her magic against him.

Luka breathed deep and focused on the task at hand. He smiled when Greta started to sway, clearly falling under the sleeping spell. Her head whipped around and spotted him, an angry expression marring her face.

She fell to her knees, but managed to send her hand out and Luka flailed backwards and fell against a tree. Pain caused his eyes to water and his head throbbed.

He struggled to get up, but Greta had already turned her attention to Thea and Klaus. She grabbed a knife from her pocket and advanced toward the pair, clearly intent on saving Klaus.

A blur distracted him and he saw Damon appear behind Greta. Another second and his hands reached for her neck. With a deft twist of his wrists, Greta's neck snapped and she crumpled on the ground, dead.

"No!" cried Luka, though his voice was faint as he pulled himself to a standing position.

He stumbled to his sister's body, tears pouring down his cheeks. He knelt beside her, feeling for a pulse, even though he knew he wouldn't find one.

"Couldn't let her interfere," said Damon.

Luka just looked at him angrily, but didn't reply, knowing he wasn't wrong. He just grabbed Greta's hand and looked down into her face.

"I'm sorry," he said, tears still streaming down his cheeks. "I failed you."

o – o – o

Thea breathed deep as her total focus became one with her magic. She could feel it growing within her as she walked, filling every nook and cranny and then, spilling over. It was intoxicating. Before there was always a limit, a point where she kept calling and nothing came forth. Now, it seemed, there was no limit.

She saw Klaus walking unsteadily, clearly the change was happening. His werewolf side had been unbound and the full moon was in force, causing his bones to begin breaking in preparation for the transformation to wolf form.

She quickly pushed her magic out, toppling from his feet and casting a spell to slow the transformation. Once he was in wolf form, there would be no way to kill him through magic.

He let out a pained cry that had nothing to do with becoming a hybrid. Thea could feel Greta's eyes on her, but knew that Luka was there, ready to subdue Greta.

She approached Klaus, muttering incantations that would unbind his body of all magic, leaving him in the state he was when he died- a dead werewolf.

"No!" he cried, looking over at her. "How..."

She tore her gaze away from the look of pain on his face and concentrated on the magic flowing through her. She siphoned the magic away from his body, the pull getting stronger the closer she approached, until the magic was draining from him and she was right next to him.

She knelt beside him as he lay helpless on the ground, putting a hand on his chest. The physical contact strengthened the connection, the magic coming in waves now.

"So this is the end?" coughed Klaus, mouth sputtering blood. "You've come to kill me. After I spared you."

Thea concentration faltered at his words and the flow of magic slowed. "You've killed countless others. And will kill countless more. I can't... I'm a servant of nature. It has to be this way. I'm sorry, Klaus."

And she really was. The pain in Klaus' eyes was so real. She tried to suppress the memories of their once-close friendship. She didn't have a choice.

"And what of Elijah?" he said in a whisper.

"I know where he is," answered Thea.

Klaus coughed again. "And the rest of my family?" His voice was so quiet now. "What will Elijah think when you've killed his only means of finding them?"

"Finish him!" came Damon's voice from behind her.

Thea ignored him.

All her earlier thoughts came flooding back. Elijah would never agree to kill Klaus if he'd known that his families' bodies were safely daggered somewhere.

But really, it shouldn't matter. She was a witch first. The balance had to be maintained. And she was a daughter, a sister. Klaus had ripped her family apart, seduced her sister, and, however indirectly, caused her father to be turned into a vampire.

But she was also a woman. A woman who didn't want to see the man she cared for hurt. A woman who knew what it was like to feel lonely, betrayed by those who were closest to you. Staring into Klaus' eyes she couldn't help feel pity.

Her hesitation lasted too long, her confused thoughts just a fraction too distracting. Before she knew what was happening, Klaus had grabbed her and sunk his fangs into her neck.

"No!" came Damon's voice.

She was brutally ripped away from Klaus and she stumbled to the ground. She lay there, on her side, clutching her bleeding neck as she watched Damon face Klaus.

Klaus was on his feet in an instant, her blood apparently giving him the jolt he needed. Damon tackled him, but got thrown away.

Without Thea's magic breaking his body down, he resumed his transformation. The last thing she heard before she lost consciousness were his pained cries as he slowly became a wolf.

o – o – o

Thea blinked her eyes. Sunlight flooding through the window of her room. She groaned against the brightness, shielding her eyes from the light.

"What..." she breathed, trying to lock down her thoughts.

"Relax," came a familiar voice. "You are well. You suffered no lasting damage."

Thea looked to the side of the bed and smiled widely at a smiling Elijah.

"Elijah!" she exclaimed, sitting up quickly. "You're awake."

"I am," he confirmed.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and flung her arms around him.

"I'm so glad you're here," she whispered into his chest, happy when his arms encircled her as well.

"As am I," he whispered back. "There is something you should know..."

"Wait!" exclaimed Thea, pulling back to look into his face. "Before you say anything. Give me whatever bad news, I've been dying to do this again."

And then she kiss him. He responded immediately, wrapping his arms tighter around her and crushing his lips to hers.

Thea sighed contentedly, not wanting to think about the future, just enjoying being in Elijah's arms once again.

 **A/N: Well there ya go! Klaus made it, but Elijah is back! I hope this seemed realistic- since Thea is a much more experienced witch, I thought it was reasonable that she can do a lot more with the power than Bonnie could.**

 **And poor Katherine. I really do like her as a character, but it felt right that Klaus would sacrifice her and Thea wouldn't have much pity for her.**

 **Next chapter we'll have a true Thea/Elijah reunion and the fall out from the day of the ritual...**


End file.
